The exhibition Swedish Ecstasy is organised on the occasion of Sweden’s presidency of the EU and explores the spiritual currents that influenced many Swedish artists and writers from the 18th century up until the beginning of the 1900s.

Works by, among others, Emanuel Swedenborg, August Strindberg, C.F. Hill, Ernst Josephson and Hilma af Klint are on display. For the first time, Swedish artist Anna Cassel (1860–1937) is also shown to a larger audience.

Anna Cassel has so far been best known for her landscapes and urban motifs, but she was a close friend and collaborated both spiritually and artistically with Hilma af Klint. New research shows that Cassel was in fact a co-creator of some of af Klint’s most famous works, including the acclaimed series The Paintings to the Temple.

In the book Anna Cassel – The Saga of the Rose, Cassel is introduced to a wider audience and placed in a context of spiritually influenced artists active around the turn of the last century.

The book was released in connection with the opening of the exhibition and a seminar was held on Swedish esotericism where Briony Fer, Gary Lachman, Magnus Florin, Daniel Birnbaum, Hedvig Martin and Kurt Almqvist spoke.

There was also an opportunity to experience the virtual reality piece Hilma af Klint – The Temple, which premiered in London and Paris earlier this year.

The exhibition Swedish Ecstasy is open until May 21 2023.

Read more about the book Anna Cassel – The Saga of the Rose.