Art, Occultism, and Science in the Time of Hilma af Klint

It has been nearly 40 years since The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1880-1985 at the LA County Museum of Art in 1986. The contrast between the mixed response to this show and that of Swedish mystic painter Hilma af Klint’s record-breaking exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in 2018 testifies to dramatic changes in receptivity by art museums, critics, and art historians during the intervening period. Additionally, excellent scholarship on the late 19^th and early 20^th century prevalence of occultism by historians of science, religion, and literature has provided new support for art historians exploring the relationships of modern artists to alchemy, Anthroposophy, Theosophy, mesmerism, magnetism, hypnotism, magic, mysticism, spiritualism, ectoplasm, altered psychic states, and phantoms.

More than had been realized previously, scientific developments in the late 19^th century, particularly X-rays, radioactivity, the electron, and the confirmation of electromagnetic waves in the ether of space, played a key role in creating a new cultural focus on invisible realities beyond the human eye. These discoveries not only provided vital support for occultists, but they also stimulated modern artists to explore the occult. With circulating spiritualist journals, translated books, and a network of Theosophical publications, occultism was international, making such ideas readily available, including to af Klint in Stockholm. Now that it is clear that such concepts were not on the margins but were central for many twentieth-century artists and modernism itself, this session aims to showcase recent art historical scholarship in this field from Hilma af Klint to Agnes Pelton.