Bio (Hilma af Klint → Heritage of Hilma)

Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) was a Swedish artist, mystic, and visionary whose work fundamentally reshaped what we now call abstract art. Although she has only recently been acknowledged as a pioneer in the field, the deeper meaning and intention behind her paintings remain widely misunderstood. Across more than 126 notebooks, Hilma recorded the spiritual messages, scientific ideas, and esoteric instructions that informed her practice. She made clear that her paintings must be experienced in sequence, as each work forms part of a larger cosmology; when the order is broken or the pieces are separated, the coherence and potency of her message are lost.

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In 1972, the Hilma af Klint Foundation was established in Sweden to preserve her legacy. Today, however, significant concerns have arisen regarding the Foundation’s leadership, with several board members accused of acting for personal financial gain — a direction that stands in direct conflict with Hilma’s explicitly non-commercial purpose. In response, Erik af Klint, chairman of the board and head of the af Klint family, has initiated two legal filings to stop attempts to sell portions of the collection and to ensure the integrity of Hilma’s work is protected. These cases are now being heard in Sweden.

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Amid this crucial moment for Hilma’s legacy, Heritage of Hilma was founded in 2024 as a collaborative initiative dedicated to restoring, clarifying, and safeguarding the true meaning of her work. Heritage of Hilma functions as an emerging research hub and meeting place for scholars, artists, scientists, spiritual seekers, and historians. Recognizing that Hilma created an integrated spiritual system — not a set of marketable objects — Heritage of Hilma advocates for keeping the collection intact, honoring the sequence Hilma prescribed, and making her writings and teachings accessible to the public.

Through research, translation, education, and public outreach, Heritage of Hilma works to counteract misinterpretations, resist commercialization, and uphold the clarity of Hilma’s message. As the organization continues to grow, it seeks to build an interdisciplinary community devoted not only to understanding the depth of Hilma’s cosmology but also to protecting her work for future generations.

Heritage of Hilma invites researchers across all fields — art history, spiritual studies, esoteric traditions, philosophy, science, and beyond — to join in this work. Together with the af Klint family and a global network of scholars and seekers, Heritage of Hilma strives to protect Hilma af Klint’s legacy as she intended: whole, ordered, and preserved for the benefit of humanity.