Gösta Adrian-Nilsson
"Sjömannen" (The Sailor) / 629 Edvin (Portrait of Edvin Andersson)
Possibly signed with a version of GAN's so called anchor signature (predominantly used under the period 1919-21) in the upper left corner. Relief with oil and collage/assemblage on wood 11.5 x 12 cm. Mounted on paper-panel. Total measurements 19 x 17 cm.
Provenance
The collection of Engineer Egon Östlund.
Subsequently by descent.
Literature
"Konst i svenska hem", No. 3, catalogued p. 140 under collection 165: "Förste Maskiningenjör Egon Östlund, Norra vägen 4, Halmstad".
More information
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Designer
Gösta Adrian-Nilsson is most notable as a visual artist, and he is a pioneer of Swedish modernism. He studied at the Tekniske Selskabs Skole in Copenhagen and later for Johan Rohde at Zahrtmann’s school in Copenhagen. As an avant-gardist, Nilsson was constantly searching for new influences. In Berlin, he was influenced by the circle around the radical magazine Der Sturm, through Kandinsky and och Franz Marc. In Paris through Fernand Legér and the artists in his circle. GAN was an eclectic in the positive sense of the word. He took the the artist styles of the 1900s and created new impressions. Symbolism, cubism, futurism, expressionism, constructivim and Theosophy were the colours occupying his internal pallet. He had a sharp eye for the masculine and his painting was often energized by the vitality of modern technology, vibrant eroticism, and echoes of tyrants. No other Swedish modern artist exhibits such a unique style.
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