
Description
An authoritative, stupendously produced seven-volume publication from Bokförlaget Stolpe
This catalogue raisonné contains the entire production of the abstract pioneer Hilma af Klint (1862-1944). The catalogue consists of seven volumes containing a total of nearly 1,600 works.
Hilma af Klint has taken the art world by storm. Once virtually unknown, she is now included among the greatest modern painters and her works are considered groundbreaking. Almost 80 years after her death, she has redrawn the map of early abstract art, both in Sweden and internationally.
"A catalogue raisonné is necessary in order to see the different cycles, motifs and symbols that recur in such an exciting way. If someone really wants to understand how Hilma af Klint's works function, they need these books," says Daniel Birnbaum, director of Acute Art and former director of Stockholm's Moderna Museet, who was co-editor with Kurt Almqvist.
The first three volumes, Spiritualistic Drawings 1895-1910, The Paintings for the Temple 1906-1915 and The Blue Books, were published in 2020. The first volume presents the 15 sketchbooks produced by the group of artists known as The Five, which included af Klint. This period constitutes an important starting point for her abstract painting and for what would later lead to her most important series--The Paintings for the Temple. The second volume comprises these paintings, a total of 193 works, including the iconic The Ten Largest.
The third volume presents the ten blue books that Hilma af Klint used to show small copies of The Paintings for the Temple, an easy way to present her works to people when she traveled. According to af Klint's own notes, these books were not intended to be studied until 20 years after her death.
The fourth volume, Parsifal and the Atom 1916-1917, shows the two series Parcifal and The Atom. The Parcifal series was inspired by the legend of King Arthur and has been interpreted as an investigation of inner realms, while The Atom is apparently an exploration of the spiritual structure of the universe.
At the end of the 1910s, Hilma af Klint created a number of series of small paintings in which abstract imagery is explored using a ruler and compass. These are presented in the volume Geometric Series and Other Works 1917-1920.
In 1922, at the age of 60, Hilma af Klint completely abandoned her geometric approach for watercolours inspired by the Anthroposophical movement. The works from this period are presented in the sixth volume, Late Watercolours 1922-1941.
Product Details
Publisher | Bokforlaget Stolpe AB |
Publish Date | May 02, 2023 |
Pages | 1569 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9789198523669 |
Dimensions | 15.0 X 12.0 X 12.5 inches | 38.0 pounds |
Reviews
Embracing elements of geometry, pattern and symbolism, the oeuvre collected in the slipcased, seven-volume career retrospective, HILMA AF KLINT: Catalogue Raisonné establishes what the editors Kurt Almqvist and Daniel Birnbaum call "a new visual language."--Lauren Christensen "The New York Times Book Review"
The books in this series are finely bound, and gorgeously and exhaustively reproduce af Klint's life's work. While nay biography is necessarily subjective and selective, the appearance of the catalogue raisonné will continue the process of sharing af Klint's multifarious image-based mythology, and surely inspire new writing about her.--Lucy Ives "Art In America"
A full picture of her accomplishments has emerged [...] Further cementing her legacy, the first three volumes of a seven-volume catalogue raisonné of af Klint's work is being released this month by the Swedish publisher Bokförlaget Stolpe.--Liz Logan "1stdibs"
Now that [Hilma af Klint's] entire body is being published in this Catalogue Raisonné, there is no excuse not to avail yourself to these fine tomes and learn about one of the lost pioneers of abstract artistry.--Doug King "Patron"
Now, the full depth and breadth of Klint's prolific and extraordinary career is being fully documented in a seven-part catalogue raisonné from Swedish publishing house Bokförlaget Stolpe, distributed by Artbook DAP. It is the first time that Klint's dazzling, spiritual oeuvre, which often dabbles in the occult, will be presented in its totality.--Sarah Cascone "Artnet"
Very few artists have merited a "catalogue raisonné" - a catalogue of their collected artworks with images and basic facts such as titles, the year created, technique, dimensions. But now Hilma af Klint is in the finest of company with luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky and Andy Warhol. Sweden's national painter, Anders Zorn, has only had his etches fully catalogued whereas af Klint will be accorded seven sumptuous volumes published by Bokförlaget Stolpe, all with English text to satisfy the booming international interest.--Birgitta Rubrin "Dagens Nyheter"
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