New Swedish Books, autumn 2020 1
21 Autumn 2020 Hilma af Klint – Maps of Invisibil
ity The jury: Spotlight on an unusual life story – for both young and old readers. Maps of Invisibility is the very first children’s book about the artist Hilma af Klint and her work. It’s a book that’s not only about art, but also about magic, mysticism and scientific discoveries. Moreover, it’s the story of a woman who for a long time was left out of the art history books. This despite creating her abstract images before anyone else was doing similar work. Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) began painting her non-descriptive and very symbolic images as early as 1906. That was years before Kandinsky and Malevich arrived at what is generally regarded as the birth of modern abstract art. She was heavily influenced by spiritual ideologies and claimed that she painted for the future under instruction from the spirit world. The interest in Hilma af Klint has grown Ylva Hillström and Karin Eklund massively during the past few years. Her artworks are going to be displayed in exhibitions and museums all over the world for many years to come. The exhibition of her work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2019 attracted a record number of visitors and the exhibition catalogue became their bestselling publication to date. The book is richly illustrated with both quality reproductions of Hilma af Klint’s work and illustrations drawn by Karin Eklund. Nonfiction, 7+, 64 p. Ylva Hillström, Karin Eklund (ill.) Publisher Alfabeta Rights Alfabeta AnnaKaisa Danielsson annakaisa@alfabeta.se Photo: Mattias Enström Photo: Ylva Connell