Stig (Slas) Claesson was born in 1928 in Stockholm, Sweden, and was a painter and celebrated author of 88 books. His artistic journey began with studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm between 1947 and 1952. As a young adventurous traveller, he explored post-war Europe and participated in the construction of a railway between Samac and Sarajevo in 1947.
During the 1950s, he spent much time in Paris, a city that strongly influenced his artistic expression.
His art is characterised by a strong sense of connection to Sweden and local culture, while at the same time, he skilfully integrated impressions from his travels into his artistic work.
Claesson's works are represented in several institutions, including the National Museum in Stockholm, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Art Museum and Örebro County Museum. His contribution to art and literature has been recognised with several awards, including the de Nios Prize in 1970, and he was made an honorary doctor of philosophy at Uppsala University in 1972. As a tribute to his influence and legacy, in 2009 a park on Södermalm in Stockholm was named Stig Claesson Park, near Klippgatan, where the Claesson family lived from 1936.
The current auction presents 33 works by Stig (Slas) Claesson, all from the same collection, which the seller has built up over the past 40 years. Many of the works were acquired directly from the artist's studio in Södermalm in the 1970s and 1980s.