KLEEN (af Kleen), Tyra. Stockholm 29.3.1874 — Stockholm 17.9.1951. Swedish Painter interested in South and South-East Asia. Daughter of Richard Kleen (1841-1923), diplomat and juridical author, and Maria Charlotta Amelia Wattrang. Educated at home, in the 1890s art studies in Germany and Paris. In 1898-1906 in Rome, then mainly living in Lidingö near Stockholm. In 1897-1923 she participated in numerous exhibitions, first with drawings and lithographies in German symbolic style, also with portraits and book illustrations. In 1911-26 travelled much, e.g. in India (1911) and in Indonesia (1919-21), became much interested in folk arts. Unmarried.

Publications: Mudras. 1922 (in Dutch); English transl. Mudras, the ritual hand-poses of the Buddha priests and the Shiva priests of Bali. 42 p. 70 p. drawings. L. 1924, German transl. 1923.

– Vajang (Javanese teater). 34 p. 29 pl. Stockholm 1930 (plates and Swedish text); English tr. 1936 (book; on Javanese drama); Tempeldanser och musikinstrumenter på Bali. 1931 (plates and Swedish text); English tr. 1936 (book).

Sources: Sv. Män och Kv. 4, 1948; Svenskt Konstnärslexikon 3, 1957, with photo. N.B. several later artist lexicons state 1957 as her death, but exact date in 1951 is confirmed in Adelskalender 1951; Wikipedia with photo (another and further details in Swedish version); photo in Sardesai.