The first detailed survey of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint's groundbreaking Tree of Knowledge series "Revelatory and sublime. . . . Her work remains conceptually open enough for viewers to draw their own conclusions, insert their own meaning and feel transported to other glorious worlds." --The New York Times One of the most inventive artists of the twentieth century, af Klint was a pioneer of abstraction. Her first forays into nonobjective painting preceded the work of Kandinsky and Mondrian and radically mined the fields of science and religion. Deeply interested in spiritualism and philosophy, af Klint developed an iconography that explores esoteric concepts in metaphysics, as demonstrated in Tree of Knowledge. This rarely seen series of works on paper renders orbital, enigmatic forms, visual allegories of unification and separateness, darkness and light, beginning and end, life and death, and spirit and matter. Published on the occasion of the exhibition Hilma af Klint: Tree of Knowledge at David Zwirner, New York, in 2021 and David Zwirner, London, in 2022, this book features a text by the art historian Susan Aberth examining af Klint's spiritual and theosophical influences. With a conversation between curator Helen Molesworth and the US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo discussing connections between Tree of Knowledge and Native theories, the publication broadens the scope of philosophical interpretations of af Klint's timeless work. Also included is a newly commissioned essay by the celebrated af Klint scholar Julia Voss, a contribution by the artist Suzan Frecon, and a text by art historian Max Rosenberg that further develops the conversation around why af Klint's work was not recognized in its time.

Hilma af Klint: Tree of Knowledge

Arts & Photography

Molesworth, Helen

Harjo, Joy

Frecon, Suzan

af Klint, Hilma

Aberth, Susan

Rosenberg, Max

History & Criticism

David Zwirner Books

Now available in paperback, this book remains the definitive survey of the life and work of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington (1917-2011). Carrington burst onto the Surrealist scene in 1936, when, as a precocious nineteen-year-old debutante, she escaped the stultifying demands of her wealthy English family by running away to Paris with her lover Max Ernst. She was immediately championed by Andre Breton, who responded enthusiastically to her fantastical, dark and satirical writing style and her interest in fairy tales and the occult. Her stories were included in Surrealist publications, and her paintings in the Surrealists' exhibitions. After the dramas and tragic separations of the Second World War, Carrington ended up in the 1940s as part of the circle of Surrealist European emigres living in Mexico City. Close friends with Luis Bunuel, Benjamin Peret, Octavio Paz and a host of both expatriate Surrealists and Mexican modernists, Carrington was at the centre of Mexican cultural life, while still maintaining her European connections. Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art provides a fascinating overview of this intriguing artist's rich body of work. The author considers Carrington's preoccupation with alchemy and the occult, and explores the influence of indigenous Mexican culture and beliefs on her production.

Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art

Lund Humphries

The abiding presence of spiritualism in art, from af Klint to Susan Hiller 
Bringing together more than 30 international artists from the late 19th century to the present day, Not without My Ghosts surveys work inspired by spiritualism and its rich cultural history.With original essays by art historian Susan L. Aberth and curators Simon Grant and Lars Bang Larsen, this publication explores the anti-authoritarian political agendas of 19th-century spiritualism and the movement’s close association to the history of feminism, as well as its continued influence on contemporary practitioners. Spanning diverse artistic approaches, Not without My Ghosts offers a unique insight into the ties that bind spirit and mediumistic art across the centuries.

Not without My Ghosts

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Hayward Gallery Publishing

El tarot de Leonora Carrington

Arcq, Tere

Individual Artists

A superbly reproduced deck of Tarot cards from the master of Mexican SurrealismThe Major Arcana of the Tarot refers to the 22 cards in a standard 78-card deck. These 22 cards hold special occult and divinatory meaning developed over time beginning in the 18th century, with each Major Arcanum featuring symbolic elements and a number (from 0 to 21). Aside from its use in fortune-telling, the Major Arcana represents a path toward spiritual evolution, borrowing elements from a number of esoteric traditions including astrology, alchemy, Freemasonry, the Kabbalah and 19th-century occult organizations such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. While different Tarot decks vary artistically and aesthetically, much of the symbolism remains consistent. Major Arcana is the deck of Tarot cards created by Leonora Carrington featuring her illustrations of the 22 cards of the Major Arcana. The deck was made by Carrington as part of her private practice and until recently had remained unpublished and privately owned. The accompanying book, The Tarot of Leonora Carrington, presents extensive research on the artist's life and practice, revealing the deck as a reflection of Carrington's visionary hopes for a new world order and a more equitable future.Cover image: Leonora Carrington, The Fool (0), c. 1955. (c) 2022 Estate of Leonora Carrington / VEGAP, Barcelona.

Leonora Carrington: Major Arcana

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Books by Aberth, Susan