Hilma af Klint (26 October 1862 – 21 October 1944) was a Swedish artist whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history. A considerable body of her work predates the first purely abstract compositions by Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian. She belonged to a group called "The Five", comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy. Her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas.