Anders Zorn

Commisioned by the sitter's brother Clarence Barker; Charles Deering, U.S.A.; Anderson Galleries April 1922; Fritzes Kungl. hovbokhandel, Stockholm; O. Wallmark, Gothenburg, Sweden; Bukowski Auktioner AB, Stockholm, Sale 382, "Höstauktionen", November 6-9, 1968, lot 156; private collection.

Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, "Anders Zorn", 1924-1925, no. 21; Göteborgs Konstmuseum (Gothenburg Art Museum, Sweden), "Anders Zorn-Bruno Liljefors. Minnesutställning", November 1960-January 1961, no. 43; Behnhaus, Lübeck, West Germany, 1962, no. 13; Lunds konsthall, Sweden, "Zorns kvinnor", 1976, no. 146; Zornmuseet, Mora, Sweden, "Zornmuseet 50 år", June 10 - August 20, 1989, no. 66; Kunsthalle zu Kiel, West Germany, September 3 - October 22, 1989; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, October 10, 1989 - January 10, 1990; Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Stockholm, "Anders Zorn. Till ögats fröjd och nationens förgyllning", September 15 - December 11, 1994, no. 51; Göteborgs Konstmuseum, December 26, 1994 - March 20, 1995; Zornmuseet, Mora, Sweden, "Zorns mästerverk", May 13 - September 14, 2010; Blaafarveværket, Modum, Norway, "Malerkongene: Zorn - Nerdrum", May 21 - September 25, 2011, no. 17.

Gerda Boëthius, "ZORN. Tecknaren. Målaren. Etsaren. Skulptören", 1949, mentioned p. 289, 297, 299 and 360, illustrated full page, Fig. 171. and listed in the catalogue p. 545; Hans Henrik Brummer, "ZORNMCMLXXXIX", 1989, mentioned p. 161-163 and illustrated full page in colour, p. 160; Hans Henrik Brummer, "Till ögats fröjd och nationens förgyllning - Anders Zorn", 1994, mentioned p. 203 and 295, illustrated full page in colour p. 202; William & Willow Hagans, "Zorn in America. A Swedish Impressionist of the Gilded Age", 2009; (Ed.) Johan Cederlund, "Zorn. Mästerverk", 2010, illustrated full page in colour p. 172.

Anders Zorn, born in Mora in 1860, showed artistic talent from a young age. In 1875, he traveled to Stockholm and became a student at the then Slöjdskolan (now Tekniska högskolan) in Stockholm, and shortly after, he joined the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Initially, Zorn had aspirations of becoming a sculptor, but soon watercolor painting took over, becoming his primary medium until 1887. At the student exhibition in 1880, Zorn had his breakthrough with the watercolor painting "I sorg." The following year, he gained international acclaim as a portrait painter. His watercolor painting reached its pinnacle during this period, and his most famous work from this time is "Vårt dagliga bröd” from 1886. Shortly thereafter, Zorn transitioned to oil painting, which was met with immediate success. Zorn's reputation mainly rested on his portrait art, and he portrayed many notable figures, including presidents. For instance, he created an etching of Theodore Roosevelt. His etchings significantly contributed to his success. In the late 1880s, Zorn began working in the genre that would increasingly become his trademark: nude figures in outdoor settings. He had long been fascinated by the movement of water and the reflections of light on its surface. Now, he added the complexity of placing a model near or in the water, aiming to depict a synthesis between nature and humanity. In 1896, Zorn and his wife moved back to Sweden and settled in Zorngården in Mora. This move sparked a renewed interest in his homeland, which would be reflected in his future paintings. Among the artist's scenes from the Mora region, portraying its local customs and ancient traditions, "Midsommardansen" holds the highest value according to Zorn himself. Today, the painting can be found at the National Museum.