BY KAREN BOSSICK
Hilma af Klint’s radically abstract paintings were like little that had been seen before when she debuted them in 1906.
The Swedish artist’s groundbreaking paintings were bold, colorful and untethered from recognizable references to the physical world. But she kept them largely private, rarely exhibiting them. Convinced the world was not ready for her work, she stipulated that they not be shown for 20 years following her death.
And, in fact, they went virtually unseen until 1986.
The Sun Valley Museum of Art will show a film that focuses on her work, which predated abstract painting by decades, on Thursday.
The film, “Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint,” will be shown at 4 and 7 pm. Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Magic Lantern Cinemas in Ketchum.
The film is one of six documentary films the SVMoA will show in January and February as part of its BIG IDEA project, “Deeds Not Words: Women Working for Change” that celebrates the many ways women have worked for social change.
Tickets are $10 for SVMoA members and $12 for nonmembers, available at www.svmoa.org or by calling 208-726-9491. A limited number are being sold to maintain physical distancing in the theater.
Ahead of the 7 p.m. film showing the public is invited to attend a free evening exhibition tour of the new BIG IDEA project at the museum at 191 Fifth Street East in Ketchum. One tour will be offered at 4:30 and the second at 5:30 p.m. with each tour limited to eight and face masks and social distancing required.
The art includes Angela Ellsworth’s two sculptures inspired by bloomers and crafted with fabric steel and tens of thousands of pearl corsage pins.
Private tours are also available by calling 208-726-9491.