Ben Apfelbaum

HILMA AF KLINT : THE SECRET PAINTINGS : AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION

Jonathan O’Dea MLA Speaker_ Exhibit Curators Nicholas Chambers & Sue Cramer_ Dr Michael Brand Gallery Director
The Swan No. 1
Altarpieces
Late watercolour
Notebooks Book V Thoughts
Altarpieces
The Dove No. 14
The Dove
The Swan No.9

The Art Gallery of New South Wales is currently exhibiting the first survey in Australia by visionary Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), whose remarkable mystical paintings bring new perspectives to the narratives of modern art and have become an international sensation.

Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings brings these works to the Asia-Pacific region for the first time. The exhibition presents over 120 works, from early drawings to the artist’s monumental paintings, late watercolours and notebooks. Spanning more than four decades of the artist’s practice, this comprehensive exhibition includes works ranging from the 1890s to 1941. Many of her most renowned paintings are featured, as well as others that are little known.

The exhibition is curated by independent curator Sue Cramer and was developed in collaboration with Art Gallery of NSW senior curator of modern and contemporary international art Nicholas Chambers.

 When af Klint began creating her ambitious new works in 1906, no one had seen paintings like hers before – so monumental in scale, with such radiant colour combinations, enigmatic symbols and other-worldly shapes. Influenced by the spiritualist practices of her time, af Klint believed that her paintings contained messages for humanity communicated to her through the visions she received from spirits. 

 Stored away and scarcely known for decades, the startling re-discovery of af Klint’s “secret paintings” has captured the imagination of contemporary audiences, with a 2019 exhibition of her work at the Guggenheim Museum breaking attendance records and taking New York by storm. 

 Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings is supported by the NSW Government through Destination NSW and presented with the cooperation of The Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm in association with Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne and major digital sponsor, EY.

Art Gallery of NSW director Dr Michael Brand said: ‘We are thrilled that the first international art exhibition to return to the Art Gallery since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our exhibition schedules is the remarkable work of the pioneering female artist Hilma af Klint. Her exploration of spiritualism, science and nature presents a timely message for Australian audiences, particularly as we continue to face challenges as a result of the global pandemic.

‘This exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover the extraordinary artistic achievements of an artist whose re-discovered work is now captivating audiences around the world and prompting museums to question art history narratives.’

Art lovers are invited to join a special two-day live symposium of online talks and discussions centred on af Klint’s revelations of spirit as they appeared in her art and writing. Hear from artists, local and international experts as they unpack the fascinating history surrounding af Klint. Revelations is a ticketed event on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 July, 3–5pm. Bookings essential.  

Book into one of the Art Gallery’s guided tours held daily at 11am for an introduction to the exhibition and in-depth knowledge of the artist’s work. Kids and families can uncover secrets of af Klint’s art through a free children’s trail designed with drawing and writing activities responding to works in the exhibition. The Art Gallery will also offer a range of access programs, including Auslan tours of the exhibition and audio-described programming.

Coinciding with the exhibition, the richly illustrated publication, Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings, edited by Sue Cramer with Nicholas Chambers includes five essays and an illustrated chronology bringing fresh perspectives to af Klint’s life and work. Contributors include Sue Cramer and Nicholas Chambers, plus guest writers Jennifer Higgie, Aaron Lister and Julia Voss. The publication is available to purchase for $45 from the Gallery Shop onsite and online. 

 The exhibition is on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from until 19 September 2021.  

Featured image : Botanical study 1890s. All pics by Ben Apfelbaum.

 

 

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.