Travel Planner: Hilma af Klint's secret paintings come to Wellington

The Ten Largest, 1907. Tickets are now on sale for Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi. Photo / The Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Pipped as a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, with works that were for a long time shrouded in secrecy and hidden from view, tickets are now on sale for Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, in association with the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.

Born in Sweden in 1862, Hilma af Klint is regarded as one of Europe's earliest abstract painters. No mean feat for a woman making her way in a male-dominated landscape at the turn of the 20th century.

Both an artist and a mystic, spiritualism played a huge part in af Klint's work. Seances and prayer were often undertaken as part of an all-female artist group, of which she was a member, known as "The Five". The quintet liked to channel various invisible forces into their creations, although af Klint was also inspired by scientific advances.

Intrigued much? It gets better.

On her death in 1944, Hilma af Klint stipulated her work be kept secret for at least 20 years, firmly believing that the world was not yet ready for it. Those with a sharp eye will find notebooks in the Wellington exhibition inscribed with "+x", the sign she used to request the artwork be kept hidden.

Hilma af Klint at her studio at Hamngatan 5, Stockholm C1895. Photo / Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm

It seems Hilma's prolonged veil of secrecy paid off. Fast-forward to the present day and she is one of the world's most talked-about artists, exhibiting at prestigious galleries across the globe. While exhibiting Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings in New York, The Guggenheim attracted 600,000 visitors – its highest attendance for any show in history. So, if you're wondering if you should visit the first-ever Klint exhibition to grace Aotearoa shores – you should.

Arriving in Wellington from December 4 and running until March 27, 2022, secure your tickets at ticketmaster.co.nz and jump on the City Gallery Website (hilma.citygallery.org.nz) to stay across all related events such as tours, panel discussions and late-night viewings.

Check alert level restrictions and Ministry of Health advice before travel. covid19.govt.nz