Altarpiece, No. 1, Group X

In the 1890s, Hilma af Klint began meeting regularly with a group of female artists who together became known as “The Five”. The Five practiced various forms of spiritualism, believing they could communicate with a higher consciousness. Af Klint thought herself directed by this otherworldly force to create a group of works called the Paintings for the Temple. The final paintings in this series were three colossal Altarpieces. By the early 1900s, af Klint had developed a distinct spiritual style hallmarked by the interplay of symbolism and the supernatural. Stylistically unbound to the artistic conventions of the time, Altarpiece, No. 1, Group X is one of the first examples of abstract art.