New turn in the battle for Hilma af Klint: « Absurd Situation »

In February, the conflicts in the Hilma Foundation – which manage the world -famous artist’s work – reached its culmination. Then the chairman Erik af Klint submitted an application to the Stockholm District Court. All members – except himself – would go away from the board.

They misbehave their mission, he believes.

Unlike his representatives on the chairman, Erik aflint interprets the statutes of Klint Hilmastiftelsen literally. The paintings only get appears for « spiritual search ». Or, for those who can help « fill the mission » that Hilma af Klint’s « spiritual client » set aside with the work.

« Exhibitions, books, pictures, carpets, socks, none of that is allowed, » Erik af Klint told DN at the beginning of March.

If Erik of Klint gets his will through, Sweden’s largest art treasure in practice would be closed and the exhibitions will cease.

The other members of the Hilma Foundation have a different view. In a 67 -page response to the district court, they reject Erik af Klint’s allegations.

– We have not neglected our mission. The Board will work to make the art available to the public, and we have done that, says Juhani Selvani.

Closing the art would violate the foundation’s statutes, he says.

How come you and Erik af Klint make such different interpretations of the foundation’s statutes?

– When we put together our interpretation – which means that the art should be available to the public – with the decisions of previous boards, we conclude that we do the work properly.

In the documents like has been submitted to the district court, the members point out that Erik af Klint himself has been on the board for periods since the 1980s and made a decision on exhibitions, postcards and posters with Hilma af Klint’s paintings as motives.

– That it is we who are to be discharged, when he himself has helped and contributed to making the art available to the public, is difficult to understand, says Juhani Selvani.

– It’s an absurd situation.

Erik af Klint has previously accused Current, and former, board members to shoe at Hilma af Klint. These include the decision to auction digital versions of the paintings, so -called NFTs.

– None of us sat on the board when the decision on NFTs was made. We have not shot at Hilma af Klint or her art. It simply is not true.

Another central conflict is about whether the foundation will sell some of Hilma af Klint’s paintings to be able to finance restoration and preservation of the artist’s most important works.

Juhani Selvani says there are no ready -made agreements, but confirms that sales may be relevant in the future. However, this does not apply to the works that are considered « most important » and protected by the foundation’s statutes.

– We have an obligation to ensure that the foundation’s work is kept in the best possible condition. If we cannot redeem funding in any other way, sales may be relevant.

Just because man Have done wrong, it does not have to mean to continue to make mistakes, says Erik af Klint. The early exhibitions with Hilma af Klint’s art served as a way to pay for the restoration of the works.

– The foundation had no finances. We threshing through the whole work in that way, he says.

But, « the systematic commercialization » by Hilma af Klint has not been under the leadership of any of Klint family, claims Erik af Klint.

– Instead, I caused me to open my eyes to this. I took a good look at the statutes, and what is going on now is not compatible with what is in them.

– This is a work to be held united because it has a spiritual message.

Recently, the County Administrative Board announced in Stockholm that it started a supervisory case Around the work in the Hilma Foundation. The authority will, among other things, investigate whether it is compatible with the statutes that Hilma af Klint’s work is shown at exhibitions and in galleries.

Juhani Selvani is positive that the matter is being tried.

– I am confident that we have our feet and that we are doing right. These conflicts take a lot of time and energy and I hope we can go ahead and work on this soon.

Read more:

The final fight about AF KLINT: Who will save Hilma?

The plan: Hilma af Klint’s art should never be exhibited again