In homage to celebrated abstract artist and mystic Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) the National Gallery has painted the stairs. As inspiration for the project Altarpiece No. 1, 1915 – a highlight of the Hilma af Klint: Artist and Visionary exhibition which opens at the Gallery on October 15 – is apposite. The painting offers a theosophical view of evolution, ascending from a physical to a spiritual plane and descending from a higher level to the material world. Like many artists of her time af Klint sought to make sense of the modern world. Portraiture and illustration provided a source of income, the spiritual paintings were seldom seen beyond her close circle. Now considered among the first major abstract works of western art history most remained in storage until the 1980’s, largely unknown outside Sweden. Developed in partnership with the Hilma af Klint Foundation this first exhibition of af Klint in Ireland explores the time, place and circumstances that shaped her unique vision. It runs until February 7.