While men have long been credited with producing the first abstract paintings, the true creator was actually a woman – Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, who was inspired by her mystic visions. Acclaimed authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose bring her story to life in this groundbreaking novel.

Early 1900s: The world belongs to men, and the art world in Stockholm, Sweden, is no different, until Hilma af Klint brings together a mysterious group of female painters and writers–Anna, Cornelia, Sigrid, and Mathilda–to form their own emotional and artistic support system. The members of the Friday Night Club find themselves thrust into uncharted territory when Hilma and her best friend, Anna, begin dabbling in the occult, believing that through séances they can channel unseen spirits to help them achieve their potential as artists. “The Five,” as Hilma referred to them, was a group of immensely talented, fascinating women whose lives and work were cast into obscurity…until now.

The Present: Over a century later, an associate curator at the Guggenheim Museum, Eben Elliot, brings the Hilma af Klint show to New York where he uncovers questions about the Five and how the modern day art world is funded, which puts him in a precarious position both emotionally and professionally, as he witnesses how history can be manipulated.

The Friday Night Club is an illuminating historical novel that explores destiny, passion, and the threads that connect five women as they challenge artistic and societal traditions.

Alyson Richman is a USA Today and #1 international bestselling author. She is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep loves of art, historical research, and travel.

M.J. Rose is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in New York City exploring the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park.

“In their important novel, The Friday Night Club, co-authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose have unearthed the captivating story of the ground-breaking Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, arguably the world’s first abstract artist who may well have inspired male painters like Wassily Kandinksy who typically receive credit for pioneering abstraction. This spell-binding exploration of the life and legacy of a long-forgotten woman and the circle of gifted friends who worked alongside her is a must-read.”
–Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author

“What an intriguing idea: Three wonderful writers come together to write a novel about Hilma af Klint and her artist friends. They explore the question what it means to create art, to be an artist, to stay true to yourself even when you are ignored and rejected. At its heart it is a novel about love, friendship and the mysterious magic of creativity.”
–Jan-Phillipp Sendker, internationally bestselling author of The Art of Hearing Heart Beats

“The Friday Night Club has everything I love in a novel: art, history, secrets, mysteries, friendships and love—along with a propulsive narrative. The collaboration of three fantastic female writers—Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman and M.J. Rose—about the collaboration of five fantastic female artists and spiritualists, the story bounces between Sweden during the late-nineteenth century and present-day New York City as the reader can’t stop turning the pages. Kudos to Lundberg, Richman and Rose—and many thanks to them for bringing Hilma af Klint to life and giving her the attention her art deserves.”
–B.A. Shapiro, New York Times bestseller of Metropolis and The Art Forger