Ernst Billgren
Covered by droit de suite
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Untitled
Signed Ernst Billgren and dated -01. Mosaic and mixed media. Height 55, depth 50 cm.
Provenance
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm.
Exhibitions
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, 'Ernst Billgren', September 2002.
More information
'Already in 1987, Ernst Billgren demonstrated at Galleri 1 in Gothenburg that he had devoted his talent to the boundless: a reckless and fresh mix of high and low, of sculpture, objects, and painting - often all in one with intricately decorated frames. In the early works, there was a probing, expressive colorism, which quickly found its own path in these now well-known orgies of birds, pikes, and deer - motifs that soon thereafter filled mosaic and batik and worked excellently like additions in creamy, green plaster frames. What clearly loomed in these works, with all noble aesthetics turned on edge, was that Billgren, technically, was not a bit inferior to the great painters Anders Zorn, Bruno Liljefors, and Carl Larsson - the only difference was that he had devoted his talent to the more peculiar. Billgren dug himself, like one of his affectionately mosaic-covered wild boars, down into the undergrowth of art and our everyday life, while at the same time, as if by the way, he performed complex cleavages of the inner structures of painting and art. All this happened at high speed: since then, Billgren's artistic journey has rolled on with equal parts liberating boyish charm and art-political calculation.' (Mårten Castenfors, Swedish Art of the 20th Century, part 3, 2001.)
Gallery Lars Bohman started the new season 2002 with a double exhibition by Ernst Billgren. The first part, named 'Ordinary Exhibition' consisted of new works: painting, sculptures, photographs, mosaic, silver jewelry, and pieces of design furniture. A door in the inner room led to the second exhibition 'The Ordinary Transformed', marketed as ‘for adults only’. Works from Ordinary Exhibition reappeared transformed with elements of sex and violence as a strong undercurrent. The mosaic sculpture of the wild boar was shown in this exhibition.
Bukowskis is proud to present, in this auction, two more works by Ernst Billgren from the above mentioned show at Lars Bohman in 2002; the sculpture 'Vildsvinsmöte' and large painting 'Hemläxa - transformed'.
Artist
Ernst Billgren was born in Stockholm in 1957 and studied at Valand Academy from 1982 up until 1987. His artistic career is marked by remarkable diversity, which is quite unique in the Swedish art scene. He is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, author, debator and also worked in film and stage design. His artistic production spans over a multitude of disciplines, encompassing painting, sculpting, set design, furniture design, literature, film, and music. Across these diverse fields is a distinguishable continuity of nature, national romanticism, and mythology. Billgren demonstrates great craftmanship by being able to work in numerous materials such as mosaic, wood, bronze, cement, tile and glass. The defining characteristic of Billgren is his his bold approach to challenging conventional ideas of what constitutes good art. He blends fine art with kitsch and introduces animals and birds into refined settings, blurring traditional boundaries.
Ernst Billgren's work is known for its ability to provoke and leave a lasting impression, ensuring that viewers are engaged and often stirred by his unconventional artistic expressions.