Before Kandinsky, before Malevich, a woman painted abstraction in secret. Her name was Hilma af Klint — and the Grand Palais is finally giving her the place that is rightfully hers.
Some works seem to be born too early for their time. Those of Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) are among them. Long remaining in the shadows—by her own choice—the Swedish artist now appears as an essential figure in the history of modern art, no longer on the margins, but at the very heart of its narrative.
In spring 2026, the Grand Palais, in co-production with the Centre Pompidou, will dedicate a groundbreaking exhibition to him, bringing together for the first time in France a major collection of his works, including the Temple Paintings cycle (1906-1915). Curated by Pascal Rousseau, professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and designed by Pascal Rodriguez for the Centre Pompidou, the presentation goes beyond a simple tribute to offer a profound reinterpretation of the origins of abstraction.
For well before Kandinsky or Malevich, Hilma af Klint was exploring a radical pictorial language as early as 1906. Circles, spirals, organic forms, and flat planes of vibrant color compose works of astonishing modernity. Nothing here is mere formal experimentation: each motif seems to respond to an invisible, almost cosmic logic.
In the monumental series "The Ten Greatest ," also presented in the exhibition, the imposing formats amplify this feeling of immersion. Colors unfold in broad fields, forms intertwine, creating a visual universe where the gaze is both lost and guided. These paintings are not to be contemplated from a distance: they envelop you.
This formal power stems from a singular artistic journey. Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, Hilma af Klint led a double artistic life: on the one hand, figurative work conforming to the expectations of her time; on the other, a secret, resolutely avant-garde oeuvre, nourished by her involvement in the Theosophical Society. It was in this context that her abstract experiments emerged: during séances conducted with a group of women sharing a utopian vision, she explored a spiritual dimension that profoundly permeated her work. Spirals, circles, and beams convey a search for cosmic harmony and the invisible forces that govern the world.
This link between art and spirituality is not simply a matter of esoteric fascination. The exhibition highlights the richness of his influences—esotericism, folklore and folk art, scientific culture—showing how the artist constructs a complex visual language where each element contributes to a coherent system.
The decision not to exhibit these works during her lifetime further enhances their singularity. In her will, Hilma af Klint stipulated that her abstract output remain sealed for twenty years after her death. It was only in 1986, at the exhibition "The Spiritual in Art, Abstract Painting 1890–1985" in Los Angeles, that her abstract paintings were presented to the general public for the first time. A belated but decisive recognition.
Today, this rediscovery is part of a broader movement to reassess the role of women in art history. The Grand Palais exhibition fully participates in this dynamic, repositioning Hilma af Klint not as an isolated figure, but as an essential pioneer, capable of transcending the boundaries between art, science, and spirituality.
More than a century after their creation, these paintings retain their undiminished power. They challenge not only our way of seeing, but also our way of understanding history. By restoring Hilma af Klint to her rightful place, this exhibition does more than simply correct an oversight: it opens up a new perspective. And it reminds us, with an almost unsettling clarity, that the history of art is always being rewritten.
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Hilma af klint
6 May - 30 August 2026
Grand Palais — Galleries 8
