In the spring 2023 the exhibition Swedish Ecstasy was on display at Bozar in Brussels, showcasing works by Swedish artists inspired by mysticism and spirituality. As partner in the project, Nationalmuseum was providing 40 works by Carl Fredrik Hill, Ernst Josephson and August Strindberg.

Amongst the works on loan from Nationalmuseum were The Water Sprite by Josephson, Wonderland by Strindberg and Apple Tree in Blossom by Hill. The paintings were on show alongside other paintings by Hilma af Klint in the historical section of the exhibition, which also featured works by contemporary artists such as Cecilia Edefalk, Christine Ödlund, Carsten Höller, Lars Olof Loeld and Daniel Youssef.

Ernst Josephson, The Water Sprite, 1882. Oil on canvas.

August Strindberg, Wonderland, 1894. Oil on paper.

Carl Fredrik Hill, Apple Tree in Blossom, 1877. Oil on canvas.

Ernst Josephson, Extatic heads. Oil on wood.

The exhibition was produced in connection with Sweden’s EU presidency, and the idea was to present a somewhat unexpected side of Sweden, which is often seen as a country that embodies pragmatic and rational attitudes. August Strindberg’s mysticism and Hilma af Klint’s spiritual universe tell a different story.

Exhibition curators: Daniel Birnbaum in collaboration with Ann Flas from Bozar.