Three new books explore Hilma af Klint's cosmic universe

Three new publications in French delve into the life and work of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), coinciding with her first major French exhibition at the Grand Palais, co-organized with the Centre Pompidou. The show highlights af Klint as a pioneer of abstraction who preceded Kandinsky, Malevich, and Kupka, guided by spiritual voices. The books include a biographical novel by Véronique Le Normand titled "Femme oiseau étoile" (Actes Sud, 2026), a graphic novel by Philipp Deines with a postface by Julia Voss (GrandPalaisRmn, 2026), and a children's album "Le carnet d'Hilma" by Le Normand and Lisbeth Renardy (co-edited by GrandPalaisRmn and Hélium, 2026). The graphic novel traces af Klint's shift from academic painting to abstraction and esotericism at age 44, while the children's book imagines her childhood conversations with her guardian angel Lorentz. The exhibition at Grand Palais (7 Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris 8) is part of a broader 2026 program that also includes shows on Matisse, Nan Goldin, Cézanne, and Renoir.