The Beginnings

Hilma af Klint was born into a family that had reached nobility through military service in the Swedish navy and had further distinguished themselves through their contributions to maritime mapping. Her father, Fredrik Viktor, carried on this tradition, becoming a naval commander and director at the academy, teaching astronomy, navigation, mathematics, and sailing. Growing up in such an environment was formative. Knowledge of these subjects can be seen throughout much of af Klint’s abstract oeuvre, where she incorporated diagrammatic imagery borrowed from the sciences and cartography  to convey her spiritual messages.

The daughter of a teacher, af Klint was consistently encouraged to pursue education. As she developed a talent for art, she was able to pursue traditional training, first at the Technical School, then at the academy of painter Kerstin Cardon, and finally at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating with honors in 1887. This final institution had established a separate women’s section in 1864, where for the first time, women were able to receive comprehensive artistic training in landscapes, still lifes, and portraits, including drawing from live models.