Allan Österlind

Allan Österlind was a painter, draftsman, and printmaker. He was born in Stockholm in 1855 and, after his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, moved to France. He remained active there until his death, with the exception of study trips to Italy and Spain. Through his marriage to Eugénie Carré and his strong connections within French art circles, Österlind eventually focused entirely on a career in France.

When Österlind first arrived in Paris as a young man in 1877, he became a student of the sculptor P.J. Cavelier at the École des Beaux-Arts. After some time as a sculptor, Österlind soon transitioned to painting, becoming a skilled watercolorist. He painted both figurative motifs and portraits, as well as landscapes influenced by the French naturalist plein air tradition. Among his portraits are a full-length watercolor portrait of Consul General John Ljunggren (Institut Tessin, Paris), a portrait of Auguste Rodin in watercolor from his studio in Paris (Ateneum, Helsinki), the poet Maurice Rollinard (Museum in Châteauroux), and the current portrait of his artist friend Karl Nordström in this auction.

The auction’s delicate and emotionally rich portrait of Karl Nordström was created by Allan Österlind during the summer of 1881. A group of Swedish Parisian artists had sought refuge from the city’s bustle in the picturesque village of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy. This artist colony included Karl Nordström, Allan Österlind, Robert Thegerström, and William Feron.

As a young artist, Österlind actively participated in the Swedish Parisian artists' revolt against what they considered the outdated Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. He exhibited at the Opponents’ two exhibitions in 1885: "From the Banks of the Seine" and "The Opponents’ Exhibition" in Stockholm. These exhibitions marked the beginning of the breakthrough for French-inspired plein-air painting in Swedish art.