Ernst Billgren
Covered by droit de suite
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'Bakläxa'
Signed EB. Oil on panel in artist's frame with mosaic and bronze sculpture 213 x 128.5 cm.
Provenance
Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm.
Exhibitions
Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm, 'Ernst Billgren', September 2002.
More information
Lars Bohman Gallery 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 'The Ordinary Exhibition' reappeared transformed with elements of sex and violence as a strong undercurrent.
The painting offered at this auction was created for and exhibited at Lars Bohman in 2002 together with the work 'Hemläxa' by Billgren. The two paintings are in dialogue and mirror each other in size, decorative frame and motif. 'Hemläxa' vas shown in the ‘Ordinary’ exhibition while the painting for sale in this auction is the transformed version from the ‘adult-only‘room. In the painting three foxes in elegant renaissance dress are acting out a scene both scary and unpleasant if it was not so absurd. The clash between nature and culture, painterly realism and abstraction takes the edge off the violence and brings the scene back to the word of fantasy and contemporary computer game aesthetics. The inspiration reflected in Billgren's art comes from a variety of sources also including the Grimm brothers' fairy tales, childhood fantasies, comic book fiction, Nordic nature painting and the world of Lucas Cranach the Elder.
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 the mosaic interpretation of a wild boar hunting trophy.
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.