Hilma af Klint was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history. A considerable body of her work predates the first purely abstract compositions by Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian.

The majestic swan symbolised the ‘grandeur of the spirit’ to Helena Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, a spiritualist movement of great interest to Hilma af Klint; in alchemy, the swan represents the union of opposites necessary for the creation of the philosopher’s stone, a substance believed to turn base metals into gold.

In this series, af Klint blends such established symbolism with her own idiosyncratic interpretations. The first painting portrays two swans – one black (male, with yellow beak), the other white (female, with blue face and feet). This stark palette underscores the dualities of light and dark, male and female, life and death.

The Hilma af Klint tray range was developed exclusively for The Art Gallery of New South Wales' 2021 Hilma af Klint exhibition. 

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SPECS

- ⌀39cm x 1.5cm
- Artwork: Hilma af Klint
- Handcrafted in Sweden
- Brand: Art Gallery of NSW
- Food Contact Safe; Dishwasher Safe
- Materials: FSC-certified wood; Protective layer of melamine