Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd
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"Non-violence"
Signed CFR and numbered 60/150. Green patinated bronze, length 27 cm. Mounted on granite base, heigth 3 cm. Cast from 2001.
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CARL FREDRIK REUTERSWÄRD, “NON-VIOLENCE”
Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd belongs to the group of successful Swedish artists. He has a strong and solid anchoring in the international art world and has an extensive representation in both public and private collections, including Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Malmö Art Museum Malmö, Sprengel Museum Hannover. Besides, he is also represented at Nationalmuseum Stockholm, the Museum of Modern Art New York, Centre Pompidou Paris and several other collections.
John Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York, in 1980. The whole world was upset and mourned the pop idol, whom so meaninglessly had been affected by the violence. Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd was deeply taken and, both as a tribute to John Lennon and as a protest against violence, he created this, his most iconic work – “Non-Violence”.
It is a sculpture in bronze, symbolizing a Colt Python 357 Magnum revolver, which pipe points upwards and has a knot. In a direct and uncompromisingly manner he managed to turn an object, traditionally used for attack, defence and protection, into a symbol with a universal and clear message of non-violence and peace.
In 1988, the sculpture was placed outside the UN-building in New York. Ever since, many cities around the world have “Non-Violence” in different designs as an important peace symbol in the urban environment. “Non-Violence” is an important and up-to-date work which, through its prominent location, hopefully can achieve that the world-community and humankind never forget the goal of creating peace on earth.
/ Göran Christenson former Museum director Malmö Konstmuseum
Artist
Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd (1934-2016), is a Swedish painter and sculptor who lives in Switzerland. He studied with Fernand Léger in Paris 1951-1952 and was a professor of painting at The Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm 1965-1969. He lived in Bussigny/Laussane and Paris. In 1974 he was a guest professor at Minneapolis School of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Reuterswärd is known for his sculpture showing a revolver tied in a knot, called Non Violence, on display outside United Nations headquarters in New York.
One of the first established artists to use the hologram technique was Bruce Nauman who recorded a well-known series of pulsed-laser transmission holograms entitled Making Faces in 1968. His holograms were exhibited at the Castelli Gallery in New York. Another famous artist was Salvador Dalí who made holograms at McDonnell Douglas holographic labs in the USA and exhibited in New York at the Knoedler Gallery. Harriet Casdin-Silver in the USA and Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd in Sweden are two other established artists who were attracted to lasers and holography and created early holographic art pieces in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Reuterswärd’s early work, including laser and holography art pieces, is described in the book:
25 YEARS IN THE BRANCH, Benteli Verlag Berne, Switzerland, 1977. ISBN 91-7100-125-5.
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