Rock art
The rock engravings of Tanum, classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site, are among the most beautiful examples of Bronze Age cave art. The variety and richness of the motifs are remarkable: human and animal figures, boats, weapons among a multitude of symbols reflecting the beliefs of the first occupants of the region. Located in the Bohuslän region of western Sweden, the works are scattered over 1,500 sites. Among the most famous, Tanum but also Vitlycke and its couple of newlyweds engraved in the rock. At Fossum, the complexity of the scenes reveals a carefully considered mode of creation. All in all, a six kilometer route will lead you to the discovery of many ancestral wonders.
Paint
Under the influence of the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm, Swedish painting was for a long time governed by strict rules and a preference for representations, scenes of popular life, natural landscapes and portraits. From 1870 onwards, artists in revolt against academicism went to study abroad, notably in France, in the village of Grez-sur-Loing. Following the example of Karl Nordström, they soaked up the lessons of impressionism and outdoor painting. Back in Sweden, they spread these modes of representation, which were immediately integrated into the local style. The light of the North gave a singular touch to the works that heralded symbolism.
End of the 19th century
Swedish art literally exploded in the last decades of this century. The artists who had stayed in France formed the Opponenterna (Opponents) movement in 1885. Among them were the painters Eva Bonnier, August Hagborg, Ernst Josephson, Carl Larsson, Eugène Jansson, Georg Pauli and his wife Hanna Hirsch-Pauli; the sculptors Per Hasselberg and Gusten Lindberg. Carl Larsson (1853-1919), from a modest family, settled in Grez-sur-Loing in 1882, where he defined his style and turned to watercolor. It was also in France that he met his wife and made her his favorite model. His watercolors give a large place to the idyllic image of the family.
The landscape painters, members of the Artists' Association, founded the Varberg School in 1890. Inspired by Gauguin, they modernized this genre.
Painter and sculptor, Anders Zorn (1860-1920) remains one of the most popular Swedish painters. He won a medal at the Paris World's Fair in 1889 and is known for his portraits taken from life, especially of crowned heads, with an intense psychological acuity. His sensual nudes, shown in nature, make a radical break with academic rigor. His house and studio in Mora, Dalarna, are now open to the public. His realistic painting full of details, Our Daily Bread (1886), is part of the collection of the Nationalmuseum.
The modernism that took hold at the beginning of the 20th century was led by the painters Sigrid Hjertén, Isaac Grünewald and Birger Simonsson. After a phase of cubist and expressionist inspiration, the middle of the 20th century explored surrealism, combining the influence of Dalí with a Scandinavian touch. From 1906 onwards, Hilma af Klint established herself as the pioneer of abstract art, with series born of her interest in spiritualism, alongside academic commissions.
Modern Swedish art can be admired in the country's many museums and galleries, including the Nationalmuseum and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Göteborgs Konstmuseum, the Malmö Konstmuseum and the Kulturmagasinet in Sundsvall.
Painters - photographers
From the 1860s onwards, photography developed in Sweden, as it did in most of Europe. Painters quickly seized on this new technique to experiment, like August Strindberg (1849-1912) whose Celestographies (1894) prefigured abstract expressionism. In this line, the female nudes made outdoors by Anders Zorn glorify the emancipation of women in Sweden. The forms and light effects obtained by photography inspired a whole generation of painters: Wilhelm von Gegerfelt, Severin Nilson, Axel Lindman, Georg Pauli, Oscar Björck, Gottfrid Kallstenius and Carl Wilhelmson. The practice of photography quickly became commonplace in the circle of Swedish painters who adopted it for memorization purposes. Although it did not yet have the status of art, it enriched painting. For some artists, elements of the landscape are isolated to become a theme in its own right. Wilhelm von Gegerfelt immortalized tree trunks as sculptures. Gottfrid Kallstenius and Severin Nilson capture the unreal atmosphere of seascapes.
On the island of Södermalm, the Fotografiska Museet is dedicated to photography. Since its inauguration in 2010 with an exhibition of Annie Leibovitz, it continues its program of exhibitions and training. Its particularity lies in the fact that it does not present its own collection but develops its exhibitions directly with artists, collections or galleries around a central theme.
Outdoor sculpture
Carl Milles (1875-1955), influenced by Rodin, is the author of the iconic and controversial Poseidon statue in Götaplatsen Square, Gothenburg, and the Orfeus Fountain in Stockholm. His garden (Millesgården), full of his sculptural works, can be visited on the island of Lidingö in Stockholm.
Nowadays, sculpture parks offer a unique facet of Swedish art. A Pile of Art is a hilltop sculpture park with about 30 sculptures scattered among forests and meadows. On the outskirts of Kumla, the hill of Kvarntorp offers a unique space for works in volume.
In the south of the country, in Mölle, admire Nimis, the most famous outdoor work in Sweden. Made from twigs, driftwood and tree branches, Lars Vilks' work stands in the Kullaberg nature reserve. The artist did not obtain permission to erect his work, so it is subject to frequent damage, which is part of the concept. Also in Skåne, the Wanås Konst skulpturpark is a green area where the big names in international contemporary art like to express themselves. Among the 70 works created especially for Wanås: a version of Yoko Ono's Wish Trees, Jenny Holze's Wanås Wall , creations by Ann Hamilton and Ann-Sofi Sidén.
Further in the center, the Museiparken (museum park) in Karlstad exhibits creations by two artists born in this beautiful city, Siri Bjerke and Lena Cronqvist.
Every summer since 2003, a new collection has been installed at Skulpturparken in Ängelsberg. On this occasion, Sweden's most prominent artists collaborate to complete the permanent collection on a riverbank. The Moderna Museet in Stockholm is surrounded by a park and a courtyard with the famous sculptures The Four Elements and Paradise by Alexander Calder, a collaborative work by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely.
Umedalens Skulpturpark is a temporary exhibition in Umeladen, 5 km from Umeå, of the best in modern and contemporary art: Louise Bourgeois, Antony Gormley, Jaume Plensa and Anish Kapoor. Every day of the year, free of charge, in a beautiful setting!
Underground street art
The Stockholm subway hides a real museum. The Tourist Office offers a map that lists the street art stops along three lines: the blue, the red and the green. Each station develops a theme. On the blue line, the Kungsträdgärden station deals with archaeology; at T-centralen, a tribute to the workers is evoked by silhouettes; Solna centrum turns into a red and black cave decorated with frescoes with a socio-political message; the Näckrosen station takes us into the world of Swedish cinema.
Lovers of street art will go to Malmö. The whole city is an open-air exhibition. The association ArtScape is behind this initiative and aims to promote public art by changing the perception of the urban landscape. To this end, the first festival was held in 2014. Fifteen artists then began the transformation of Malmö, which continues to be enriched with gigantic frescoes but also sculptures.
And if you are in the vicinity of Gothenburg, take the opportunity to make a stop in Borås. Nicknamed "the city of sculptures", this small city concentrates an impressive collection of public art, rich of several hundreds of works!
Contemporary art
Present at major international art events, Sweden continues to encourage the emergence of talent. Since the 1990s, marked by the recognition of Dan Wolgers in sculpture, Annika von Hausswollf in photography and later, painters Karin Mamma Andersson or Jockum Nordström, the tradition continues. The places of exhibition are innumerable and often singular. Hidden under the Älvsborg bridge, the Röda Sten Konsthall (the Röda Sten art center) is installed in a boiler room. On its four floors, it presents art in all its forms, including sculpture, installations and photography. The city of Borås is home to a great creative center, the Konstmuseum (or Museum of Modern Art) which supports Swedish and international artists. The artist's studio is open to the public. In its exceptional permanent exhibition, one can admire the work of the famous local photographer Lars Tunbjörk. Regularly published in the press(Time Magazine, Le Monde 2 and Libération), he exhibits all over the world. A true master of color, this humorous artist passed away at the age of 59.
For an ultra-Swedish experience, visit the Alma Löv Museum, the museum of contemporary art in the heart of the forests of Värmland. But Gothenburg is not to be outdone. The Thomassen gallery unearths talent, while hosting stars of contemporary art. The Järnhallen gallery is very popular, while the Hasselblad Center is dedicated to photography. Because Sweden values all the arts as few countries can!
