Hilma af Klint, Moderna Museet Malmö

Since moving to Sweden in late 2020, we’ve done hardly any exploring further afield than the few kilometres we walk around central Malmö. The pandemic has meant most of the museums and exhibition sites have been closed for the last several months, so playing tourist in our new city has just not been possible (we have visited most of the supermarket chains though, for some variety).

Malmö’s Moderna Museet re-opened to the public in late March 2021 and extended their current show, ‘Hilma af Klint; ARTIST, RESEARCHER, MEDIUM’ for a little longer. I was lucky to snag a time slot before they all sold out again, and had the date marked in my calendar for weeks — the mere thought of getting to do ‘something’ was almost as thrilling as going to the gallery itself.

Seeing the work of such a visionary in person was truly mind-bending, but the biggest (no pun intended) showstopper was the display of ‘De Tio Största’ (The Ten Largest); the 10 paintings each measuring over 3 metres high, exploring different stages of life. Experiencing the scale of the works and seeing the colours and textures up close was incredible. Imagining each of the pieces being created, well over 100 years ago, and seeing the wrinkles in the paper, the seams where the sheets connect and brush marks on the canvas.

Visiting galleries is one of the things I’ve missed the most during the pandemic, so to get to see such a beautiful exhibition as the first one in 2021, and the first one in our new home, was something very special.

Hilma af Klint: Artist Researcher Medium
Moderna Museet Malmö

Australian pals might have the opportunity to see Hilma af Klint’s work at the upcoming exhibition at Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales. All of the work is remarkable, but the feeling standing in front of The Ten Largest is something else again!