Hilma af Klint Abstract Painting Headed to Auction at Bukowskis Stockholm
On November 19, Bukowskis in Stockholm will auction a 1920 abstract painting by Hilma af Klint, titled Ser III No, with an estimated value between SEK6m and SEK8m (approximately $600,000 to $800,000). The artwork, measuring 38.5cm by 29cm, was deaccessioned by the Hilma af Klint Foundation in 1995 and has since been in the possession of a private collector. In early 1920, af Klint created 85 pieces distinguished by their geometric designs and Theosophical motifs. Her highest auction price reached $165,825 for the 1931 watercolor The Power of the Spleen in 2019. Af Klint's prominence grew through notable exhibitions, such as the 1986 show at LACMA and the 2018 Guggenheim exhibition, which drew over 600,000 attendees.
Key facts
- Ser III No, an oil and graphite on canvas dated January 1920, is estimated at SEK6m to SEK8m at Bukowskis in Stockholm on 19 November
- The painting measures 38.5cm by 29cm and was bought by a private collector in 1995 after deaccession by the Hilma af Klint Foundation
- Af Klint made 85 works in a few months in early 1920 before pausing in March to study Goethe's colour theory
- The Hilma af Klint Foundation was established in 1972 by her nephew and heir Erik af Klint and controls supply of her abstracts
- Vid ankdammen, a 1910 watercolour, sold for £40,640 at Christie's in March against a £6,000 to £8,000 estimate
- Af Klint's auction record is $165,825 for The Power of the Spleen, sold at Stockholms Auktionsverk in 2019
- Only two abstract paintings by af Klint have previously sold at auction, both more than three decades ago, according to Louise Wrede
- The Guggenheim's 2018 Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future drew over 600,000 visitors, the museum's most visited show
Entities
Artists
- Hilma af Klint
- Erik af Klint
- Louise Wrede
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Mitchell Rales
- Emily Wei Rales
Institutions
- Bukowskis
- Hilma af Klint Foundation
- Christie's
- Stockholms Auktionsverk
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Guggenheim Museum
- Grand Palais
- National Gallery of Ireland
- Theosophical Society
- David Zwirner
- Glenstone
- ARTnews
Locations
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- Paris
- France
- Ireland
- Potomac
- Maryland