I’ve got a great interview for you today— this time, I’m featuring a conversation with Julia Voss on her fascinating book, Hilma af Klint, a Biography, which was released recently in its English translation.
The Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) was forty-four years old when she broke with the academic tradition in which she had been trained to produce a body of radical, abstract works the likes of which had never been seen before. Today, it is widely accepted that af Klint was one of the earliest abstract academic painters in Europe.
But this is only part of her story. Not only was she a working female artist, she was also an avowed clairvoyant and mystic. Like many of the artists at the turn of the twentieth century who developed some version of abstract painting, af Klint studied Theosophy, which holds that science, art, and religion are all reflections of an underlying life-form that can be harnessed through meditation, study, and experimentation. Well before Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich declared themselves the inventors of abstraction, af Klint was working in a nonrepresentational mode, producing a powerful visual language that continues to speak to audiences today. The exhibition of her work in 2018 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City attracted more than 600,000 visitors, making it the most-attended show in the history of the institution.
Despite her enormous popularity, there has not yet been a biography of af Klint—until now.
Please enjoy this bonus episode, featuring my discussion with Julia Voss. Buy Hilma af Klint, a Biography here!
Please SUBSCRIBE and REVIEW our show on Apple Podcasts and FOLLOW on Spotify
Instagram / Facebook / YouTube
SPONSORS:
Lomi: Enjoy $50 off a Lomi Composter by visiting our link and using promo code ARTCURIOUS
Lume Deodorant: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get over 40% off your starter pack with promo code ARTCURIOUS at lumedeodorant.com/ARTCURIOUS! #lumepod
Want to advertise/sponsor our show?
We have partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle our advertising/sponsorship requests. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email sales@advertisecast.com or click the link below to get started.
https://www.advertisecast.com/ArtCuriousPodcast
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Episode #71: Art Auction Audacity-- Cézanne's The Card Players (Season 8, Episode 3)
Episode #70: Art Auction Audacity--Picasso’s Les Femmes D'Alger (Version "O") (Season 8, Episode 2)
Episode #69: Art Auction Audacity: Modigliani’s Nu Couché (Season 8, Episode 1)
Listener Favorites--Number 1, Part 2: Was Van Gogh Accidentally Murdered? (Season 1, Episode 2)
Listener Favorites--Number 1, Part 1: Was Van Gogh Accidentally Murdered? (Season 1, Episode 2)
Our Book is Out!
Listener Favorites--Number 4: The Semi-Charmed Life of Elisabeth Vigeé Le Brun (Season 1, Episode 3)
Listener Favorites--Number 3, Part 2: Is the Mona Lisa a Fake? (Season 1, Episode 1)
Listener Favorites--Number 3, Part 1--Is the Mona Lisa a Fake? (Season 1, Episode 1)
Listener Favorites #4: Shock Art: Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes (Season 4, Episode 3)
Listener Favorites--Number 5: Shock Art: Sargent's Madame X (Season 4, Episode 1)
Episode #68: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Katsushika Ōi (Season 7, Episode 8)
Episode #67: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Romaine Brooks (Season 7, Episode 7)
Episode #66: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Henry Darger (Season 7, Episode 6)
Episode #65: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Edmonia Lewis (Season 7, Episode 5)
Episode #64: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Rosa Bonheur (Season 7, Episode 4)
Episode #63: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Henry Ossawa Tanner (Season 7, Episode 3)
BONUS: A HUGE Announcement from ArtCurious!
Episode #62: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know: Jusepe de Ribera (Season 7, Episode 2)
Episode #61: The Coolest Artists You Don't Know--Angelica Kauffman (Season 7, Episode 1)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast
The Week in Art
Art Sense
A Tale of Two Cities
The Art of War
Harlem Is Everywhere: The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism
The Modern Art Notes Podcast