Hilma af Klint's Monumental Survey Opens at Grand Palais in Paris

The Grand Palais and Centre Pompidou have co-organized a major retrospective of Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), running from May 6 to August 30, 2026. Curated by Pascal Rousseau, the exhibition focuses on the artist's groundbreaking cycle 'The Paintings for the Temple' (1906–1915), presented in near entirety with 160 of 193 pieces on view. Eight of eleven series are complete. The famous 'Ten Largest' series, monumental in scale, is shown for the last time before a long conservation rest. Af Klint's work, produced through spiritualist séances with the group 'The Five', challenges traditional notions of authorship and abstraction. Her use of egg tempera and symbolic vocabulary (colors, letters, forms) predates canonical abstract pioneers like Kandinsky and Mondrian. The exhibition also contextualizes her practice with decorative arts, folklore, esotericism, and natural sciences. The artist's legacy was preserved thanks to anthroposophist Olof Sundström, who inventoried her studio on Munsö island after her death, and her nephew Erik af Klint, who founded the Hilma af Klint Foundation in 1972. Public revelation came in 1986 at LACMA.