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Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind Flowers
May 11, 2025 – September 27, 2025
The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art announces an exhibition showcasing MoMA’s recent acquisition of Nature Studies, a portfolio of 46 botanical drawings by the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), which will be on display for the first time. On view from May 11 through September 27, 2025, Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind Flowers explores af Klint’s engagement with the natural world. Created during the spring and summer of 1919 and 1920, the Nature Studies portfolio presents the wonders of Sweden’s flora and showcases the artist’s keen botanical eye. Af Klint combines her renowned approach to abstraction with traditional botanical drawing, juxtaposing detailed renderings of plants discovered in her surroundings with enigmatic abstract diagrams. Examples include a sunflower paired with concentric circles, a narcissus crowned by a pinwheel of primary colors, and tree blossoms accompanied by checkerboards of dots and strokes. Through these forms, af Klint seeks to reveal, in her words, “what stands behind the flowers,” reflecting her belief that studying nature uncovers truths about the human condition.
Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind Flowers is organized by Jodi Hauptman, The Richard Roth Senior Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, with Kolleen Ku, Curatorial Assistant, and Chloe White, Louise Bourgeois Fellow, Department of Drawings and Prints. Realized with the participation of the Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.
Leadership support for the exhibition is provided by the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation.
Major funding is provided by the Dian Woodner Exhibition Endowment Fund, Jack Shear through The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, and by the Eyal and Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation.
Generous support is provided by David Bushler.
Additional funding is provided by the Annual Exhibition Fund. Leadership contributions to the Annual Exhibition Fund, in support of the Museum’s collection and collection exhibitions, are generously provided by Jerry I. Speyer and Katherine G. Farley, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Sandra and Tony Tamer Exhibition Fund, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, Alice and Tom Tisch, the Marella and Giovanni Agnelli Fund for Exhibitions, The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Eva and Glenn Dubin, Mimi Haas, The David Rockefeller Council, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz, Kenneth C. Griffin, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis, and Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder. Major funding is provided by The Sundheim Family Foundation.
Major support for the publication is provided by the Riva Castleman Fund for Publications in the Department of Drawings and Prints, established by The Derald H. Ruttenberg Foundation and the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation.
Press Kit
Images
Hilma af Klint. Gagea lutea (Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem), Pulmonaria officinalis (Common Lungwort), Tussilago farfara (Coltsfoot), Draba verna (Common Whitlowgrass), Pulsatilla vulgaris (European Pasqueflower). Sheet 2 from the portfolio Nature Studies. April 24–30, 1919. Watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 9/16 in. (49.9 × 26.9 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley), Geum rivale (Water Avens), Polygala vulgaris (Common Milkwort). Sheet 11 from the portfolio Nature Studies. June 10–11, 1919. Watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 in. (49.9 × 27 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Tulipa sp. (Tulip). Sheet 35 from the portfolio Nature Studies. May 20, 1920. Watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 in. (49.8 × 27 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Luzula campestris (Field Woodrush), Viola hirta (Hairy Violet), Viola odorata (Sweet Violet), Chrysospleniumalternifolium (Alternate-Leaf Golden Saxifrage), Equisetumarvense (Field Horsetail), Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold), Ranunculus ficaria (Fig Buttercup), Carex sp. (Sedge). Sheet 4 from the portfolio Nature Studies. May 9–15, 1919. Watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 9/16 in. (49.9 × 26.9 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Helianthus annuus (Common Sunflower). Sheet 27 from the portfolio Nature Studies. September 3, 1919. Watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper, 19 3/4 × 10 9/16″ (50.2 × 26.8 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Prunus padus (European Bird Cherry), Prunus avium (Sweet Cherry), Prunus cerasus (Sour Cherry), Prunus domestica (European Plum). Sheet 7 from the portfolio Nature Studies. May 27–June 3, 1919. Watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 in. (49.9 × 27 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Tilia × europaea (Common Linden). Sheet 22 from the portfolio Nature Studies. July 29, 1919. Watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper, 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 in. (49.9 × 27 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Drawings and Prints Fund and gift of Jack Shear, 2022
Hilma af Klint. Nos. 6–14b from the series Group 2. February 5–12, 1919. Watercolor, graphite, and metallic paint on paper, 14 3/16 × 19 11/16 in. (36 × 50 cm). Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm (HaK 448)
Hilma af Klint. No. 8 from The Atom Series. January 13, 1917. Watercolor, graphite, and metallic paint on paper, 10 5/8 × 9 13/16 in. (27 × 25 cm). Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm (HaK 360)
Hilma af Klint. Birch from the series On the Viewing of Flowers and Trees. 1922. Watercolor on
paper, 6 11/16 × 9 13/16 in. (17 × 25 cm). Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm (HaK 639)