Tyra Kleen

Tyra Kleen was one of the most distinctive artists of the early 20th century – a symbolist, writer, and world traveler who sought to move beyond the conventions of her time. In her artistic practice, she combined myth, spirituality, and modernity, creating a visual language where beauty and inner intensity coexist.

The watercolor De engel met het vlammenzwaard (“The Angel with the Flaming Sword”) from 1918 is an excellent example of Kleen’s symbolist vision. The motif—an angel wielding a flaming sword—carries both religious and mythological undertones, and can be interpreted as a representation of protection as well as spiritual trial. Here, Kleen unites her theosophical worldview with a stylized and poetic formal expression in which light, movement, and color attain an almost transcendental significance.

Tyra’s father, Richard Kleen (1841–1923), was a diplomat who often took her along on his travels around the world. Her fascination with foreign languages, cultures, and religions led her to study first in Germany and later in Paris, where she exhibited for the first time in 1896. Kleen lived and worked in an era when women still lacked the right to vote, and she was deeply committed to the struggle for women’s rights. She chose an independent path in life—remaining unmarried and pursuing a career as an artist, which was a bold statement in itself.

Kleen’s interest in religion, ritual, and symbolism deepened over time, and this is clearly reflected in the painting featured in the auction. Through her precise and decorative visual language, one can trace her connection to the aesthetics of European Symbolism, yet her works also express a distinctly personal vision. Her art is characterized by a symbolist idiom filled with dreamlike and poetic imagery, where human figures and nature merge in stylized, metaphorical compositions. Her interest in theosophy and spiritualism permeates many of her works, as does her commitment to women’s emancipation and the right to personal freedom.

Although Tyra Kleen was active within artistic circles both in Sweden and internationally, she remained overlooked in Swedish art history for many years—largely due to prevailing social and cultural norms. In recent decades, her work has received renewed attention, and her artistic contributions are now recognized as highly significant to the understanding of Swedish modernism. Paintings by Kleen are exceedingly rare on the art market, making De engel met het vlammenzwaard a remarkable and important example of her oeuvre.