Björn Selder F367

Powerful, expressive sculptures in heavy materials such as bronze, iron, and stone are characteristic of Björn Selder. A large number of his monumental sculptures are to be found in public spaces, especially fountain sculptures. Björn Selder, 1940–1999, lived and worked in Stockholm and Österlen. At sixteen, he travelled to France to study with various printmakers and sculptors and later learned printmaking in Denmark in the 1960s. Selder had his first solo exhibition at twenty-one in 1961 and executed his first public commission in 1965. As a young artist, Selder primarily worked as a printmaker and painter but later chose to focus more on sculpture alongside printmaking. He is best known for his monumental stone sculptures, such as "Source of Freedom" at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm, a work commissioned to commemorate the struggle for freedom of the Baltic peoples.

Selder's philosophy was that he liberated the sculpture from the stone block, transforming the stone from a cold and hard material into something warm and almost alive. As an artist, he was always curious about new techniques and materials, ranging from gigantic inflatable sculptures to glass and enamel. He served as the longtime chairman of the Sculptors' Association and was a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Selder was also one of the initiators of the artists' collective workshop and one of the initiators of the Sculpture House in Vinterviken, Stockholm. In addition to "Source of Freedom," Selder has created numerous public commissions throughout the country and is represented in the Moderna Museet, Nationalmuseum, Malmö Art Museum, and Gothenburg Art Museum, as well as municipalities and regions.