The Swedish artist’s Ser III No. 5 will be offered at Bukowskis in November, marking an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire a work by the pioneering abstract painter.
A rare painting by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint is set to go under the hammer in November, offering collectors an unusual opportunity to acquire work by an artist whose paintings rarely appear on the open market.
Titled Ser III No. 5 and completed in 1920, the painting will be offered by Stockholm-based auction house Bukowskis during its modern art and design sale on November 19. The work carries an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. A sale at the lower end of that range would establish a new auction record for the artist.
Af Klint, once a relatively overlooked figure in 20th-century art history, has gained widespread recognition in recent years for her pioneering contributions to abstraction. Her 2018 retrospective at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum helped bring her work to a broader international audience and strengthened her reputation as an early innovator in abstract art.
An Artist Guided by Spiritualism
Af Klint’s distinctive paintings often feature geometric shapes, looping lines, floral motifs and pyramid-like compositions. Her artistic practice was deeply influenced by spiritualism and her belief that she could communicate with spirits from other realms.
These beliefs also informed her vision for a temple that would house her paintings. Although the structure was never built, her great-grandnephew, who chairs the Hilma af Klint Foundation, has sought to bring the concept to life. The proposed project would serve as a dedicated repository for her work, keeping it outside traditional museum collections. However, no opening plans have been finalized.
Despite growing institutional interest in her art, opportunities to see her paintings in commercial galleries or acquire them at auction remain scarce. The Grand Palais in Paris mounted a survey of her work earlier this year, reflecting her continuing rise in international prominence.
In 2021, David Zwirner gallery exhibited af Klint’s Tree of Knowledge series. The works were subsequently acquired by Glenstone, a contemporary art museum in Potomac, Maryland, founded by Mitchell Rales and Emily Wei Rales.
Why Her Work Rarely Reaches the Market
The Hilma af Klint Foundation has sought to maintain close control over the presentation and circulation of the artist’s work. According to the foundation, af Klint herself insisted that her art should not be commercialized.
Efforts to establish a potential relationship between the foundation and David Zwirner reportedly collapsed after two of the artist’s descendants objected to the arrangement. The family’s stewardship of her legacy has also reportedly been a source of internal disagreement.
It remains unclear whether the foundation has any involvement in the upcoming sale of Ser III No. 5. ARTnews said it had contacted the organization for comment.
A Rare Auction Opportunity
Bukowskis said the painting was one of 85 works af Klint produced during an intense three-month period of artistic activity in 1920. The same unidentified collector has owned it since 1995, after acquiring it during a period in the early 1990s when the foundation made a small number of works available for purchase.
According to the auction house, only two of af Klint’s paintings have previously been sold at auction, with both sales taking place more than 30 years ago.
The upcoming offering therefore represents a significant moment for the artist’s market. With her reputation continuing to grow among museums, curators and collectors, the November sale will provide a rare indication of the prices buyers are prepared to pay for her work.
If Ser III No. 5 achieves its low estimate of $600,000, it will surpass af Klint’s previous auction record, underscoring the growing commercial attention surrounding an artist whose legacy has largely been shaped by her spiritual convictions and groundbreaking approach to abstraction.
