Evert Lundquist was born on 17 July 1904, and grew up in Stockholm. He began painting at an early age, including during visits to France. In 1924, he began studying at Carl Wilhelmson’s art school, and the following year, he was accepted at the Royal University College of Fine Art. After years of study, interrupted repeatedly by bouts of depression, especially during the dark autumn months. Lundquist had his first exhibition in 1934 at Konstnärshuset but his breakthrough came with the second exhibition in 1941, when he was 39 years of age. A few years later, he met the artist Ebba Reutercrona. They married in the summer of 1943 and lived for many years in Saltsjö-Duvnäs, where Lundquist shared a studio with his friend and colleague, Olle Nyman. The two could paint outdoors and there was a small tower with a roof where they were protected from the weather.