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1900s, 2023: The story of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint
The Friday Night Club
What you need to know before your trail
Early 1900s: The world belongs to men, and the art world in Stockholm, Sweden, is no different, until Hilma af Klint brings together a mysterious group of female painters and writers–Anna, Cornelia, Sigrid, and Mathilda–to form their own emotional and artistic support system. The members of the Friday Night Club find themselves thrust into uncharted territory when Hilma and her best friend, Anna, begin dabbling in the occult, believing that through séances they can channel unseen spirits to help them achieve their potential as artists. “The Five,” as Hilma referred to them, was a group of immensely talented, fascinating women whose lives and work were cast into obscurity…until now.
The Present: Over a century later, an associate curator at the Guggenheim Museum, Eben Elliot, brings the Hilma af Klint show to New York where he uncovers questions about the Five and how the modern day art world is funded, which puts him in a precarious position both emotionally and professionally, as he witnesses how history can be manipulated.
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Hilma af Klimt
Hilma af Klint was born on 26 October 1862 –and died on 21 October 1944) .
She was a Swedish artist who is thought to have painted the first abstract works known in Western art history.
She belonged to a group called “The Five”, comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who believed in trying to contact the so-called “High Masters”—via séances.
Booktrailer Review
What a fascinating read – all about the artist Hilma af Klint and in the present time, associate curator Eben. I had a great time finding all out Hilma and what she lived like with her friends who were painters and writers. Apparently they would hold seances where they would try and see if they could talk to spirits. This part of a forgotten and for me, unknown world was utterely fascianting if not a little scary.
In the present day Eben is the one to bring this story of Hilma to light. There are lots of questions about art and its relevance in the current world and how this art and Hilma will be accepted and interpreted by the world today.
The book was written by three authors – something I have never read before. I went into it knowing a great deal about Sofia Lundberg as she is a well-known Swedish author. I’ve never read her in English though but you can tell she has written and influenced a lot of this book.
This book made me look up the paintings of Hilma apart from the most famous one and I found the whole story as fascinating as the art work!
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Friday Night Club
Destination/location: Stockholm, New York City Author/guide: Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, M J Rose Departure Time: 1990s, 2023
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