Carl Eldh
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"Gunnar Wennerberg" (1817-1901)
Signed C. J. Eldh. Foundry mark Herman Bergman fud. Bronze, brown patina. Height 40.5 cm.
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The politician Gunnar Wennerberg is perhaps better known today as an author, poet and composer than as a minister and governor. He was a member of both the Swedish Academy and the Royal Academy of Music. By his contemporaries he was described as a remarkable person in many ways, extremely versatile and handsome.
The sculptor Carl Eldhs monumental bronze depicting Wennerbergs tall figure was created in 1915 and can be seen at Djurgården in Stockholm. There is also a replica that was given as a gift to the city Minneappolis in USA and can be seen in Minnehaha Park.
Designer
Carl Eldh is known as a national treasure for his sculptures. After practicing as a decorative woodcarver during his youth, including working on the renovation of Uppsala Cathedral, Eldh travelled to Paris where he remained for several years while attending free classes in drawing and sculpture under the tutorship of Auguste Rodin. At his arrival back in Stockholm, he eventually had Ragnar Östberg build for him a combined residence and studio in Bellevue Park, which remained untouched after his death. Many of his statues can be found in parkes and open places in Stockholm, while his smaller statues are represented at several Swedish museums, one can even go and visit Carl Eldh's home and studio, now a museum open for the public.
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