The work of the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) has attracted increasing attention in recent years with successful solo exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and various European museums.

Her work can be seen from October 7 at Kunstmuseum Den Haag together with that of her contemporary Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). Not because their works are similar (except early in their careers when they both painted landscapes) but because they were driven by the same impulses: spirituality, scientific developments and an urge to look beyond what is immediately visible.

They each followed an independent and unique path towards abstraction in a changing world and thus occupy an important place in art history. The exhibition features a wide selection of works, including Af Klint’s most famous series: The Ten Largest (1907).

The exhibition Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life not only gives the public an opportunity to become better acquainted with Af Klint’s work but also provides a fresh perspective on the work of Mondrian, who pursued the same lifelong goal as his Swedish contemporary: ‘to make the beauty of life visible, tangible and experienceable’.

Af Klint experimented with abstraction and even incorporated abstract elements in her works earlier than her contemporaries. But she almost never worked in a completely abstract idiom and often included figurative elements.

Mondrian took a very different path, arriving at abstraction step by step. The exhibition charts their development through six themes: landscape painting, evolution, flowers, trees, the universal and the relationship to space.

For more information:

https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/en/exhibitions/hilma-af-klint-piet-mondrian