The family of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint claims a potential agreement between the foundation responsible for preserving her work and gallerist David Zwirner could lead to the “robbing” of her world-renowned abstract art.
Klimt family members say a proposed deal between Zwirner, one of the world’s largest gallerists, and the foundation’s board would open the door to “commercialization” of the artist’s work, which they say would directly but violates his wishes and foundation laws,
“This is a hostile takeover,” said Eric af Klint, who is Hilma’s great-grandson and also chairman of the board, which is made up of four other members who support the proposed deal. “The first paragraph of the statute says the board needs to ‘take care’ of the work and now they are selling it.”
The battle for control over the foundation, which was established nearly 30 years after the artist’s death in 1944, has intensified in Sweden over the past few years with legal cases and allegations. Attempt to capitalize on relatively recent success About an artist who was largely unknown until the 1980s.
Born in 1862, AF Klimt graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts, Stockholm in 1887 as a traditional landscape, portrait and botanical painter, but by 1906 – before Kandinsky, Malevich or Mondrian – he was creating unprecedented abstract masterpieces. Was constructing.
Af Klint has recently been hailed as “the true pioneer of abstract art”, but during his lifetime he was also dismissed as “a mad witch”, with the philosopher and occultist Rudolf Steiner in his Because of the association, whose anthropological society she joined.
It is understood an unsuccessful attempt was made to sign a deal with Zwirner last week A sale of AF Klimt’s work is held Will become the gallerist of the first and foundation.
Zwirner claims that the family, instead of supporting and protecting AF Klimt’s work, is “sabotaging” it and preventing him from becoming a truly international artist.
“Family members are acting against Hilma af Klint’s best interests,” Zwirner said. “It’s a power struggle within the board – we have a standoff between four board members and one board member who is trying to sabotage them.”
The gallerist says the proceeds from the sale of AF Klimt’s work will be invested in the conservation of the 1,300 objects currently cared for by the foundation, which are stored in Sweden.
Zwirner claims that the majority of the foundation’s board wants to continue global exhibitions of AF Klimt’s work at institutions including the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
He added: “The board wants to collaborate with a commercial gallery to guide the next phase when some works could potentially be for sale. The idea that we are about to ‘rob’ the foundation is completely absurd. We are an experienced property-management gallery… They would like to close everything and do nothing.’
Erik and Johan af Klint, former chairmen of the foundation and nephews of the artist, argue that Hilma af Klint’s work is not like other art and has a spiritual dimension, meaning it needs to be put together. Is.
“He painted in series and they need to be seen together like a series. The paintings are interconnected and selling a few within a series would disrupt this,” said Eric af Klint.
“This is a robbery of the foundation,” said Johan af Klint. “This is extraordinary and absurd.”
Hilma af Klint was inspired by the mysticism and spiritualism of the theosophy and anthroposophical movements. She was among a group of women calling themselves “The Five” who believed they could communicate with mystical beings, and relay their messages, through meditation and séances.
This work was rarely shown during his lifetime, and most of his pieces are held by foundations rather than in private hands.
Eric af Klint said: “The fact that the work is put together is so unique that almost none of the work is destroyed… As a family we do not believe that the work should be commercialized. That’s what has happened over the last few years, and what we’re trying to do is get it back in order.”
The foundation’s statute states that a series of paintings created between 1906 and 1915, consisting of 193 works, known as “Paintings for the Temple” cannot be sold. But the law also says other works can be sold if necessary to preserve the remaining pieces.
A spokesperson for the foundation said that questions about the organization’s future funding and possible agreements with outside parties are “completely confidential”.
The spokesperson said: “We will not comment on the work being done within the Foundation’s board, other than to express our regret that confidential information and drafts are being leaked and discussed, as this will reflect poorly on the Foundation reputation is harmed.”
It was not until 1986 that Af Klint was selected for a group show. spiritual in art At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, many in the art world became aware of his abstract work.
The power struggle at the foundation would have a huge impact on the future of Af Klint, which became an international celebrity several decades after his death with a successful show at the Serpentine Gallery in London, which was transferred to the Guggenheim in New York, where it was almost The attendance record was broken with 600,000 visitors.