The specialist's choice – Amanda Wahrgren lists her favourites from Modern Art + Design
Specialists choice Amanda Wahrgren
We have spoken with Amanda Wahrgren, Specialist Modern Art and Prints, who talks about the selection at this spring's Modern Art + Design. She also takes the opportunity to list some of her favourite objects among the substantial amount of modern art at this season's auction.
What can we look forward to in this spring's Modern Art + Design auction?
– The Department of Art at this spring's Modern Art + Design encompasses the revolutionary art from the early 20th century, when a whole new chapter in art history began, until the next paradigm shift around 1960, a fascinating time in art history! Compiling an auction is always rewarding; one always discovers new artist names and favourites!
Browse our web catalogue and welcome to visit the viewing. Don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions.
When is the viewing and auction?
Viewing: May 11 – 15, Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm
Open: Weekdays 11 am – 6 pm, Weekends 11 am – 4 pm
Live Auktion: May 16 – 17, Arsenalsgatan 2, Stockholm
Read more about the auction and view the catalogue
Erik Olson ”Jonglören”
This spring's auction features a wide range fantastic and early works by members of the Halmstad Group. My favourite is "Jonglören" by Erik Olson, painted in 1928. The artwork has never been available for sale before and comes from the collection of Yngve and Martha Dillberg in Halmstad, the couple who were friends and patrons of Erik and the other members of the Halmstad Group. "Jonglören" is one of Erik Olson's strongest constructivist compositions, created in Paris between 1927 and 28. It is playful and elegant, and the choice of subject and the refined interplay of colours uplifts my spirits.
To the work
Erik H Olson, "Optochromi TH-1"
This spring, we have been entrusted to sell the largest Optochromi by Eric H Olson that I have ever seen! The sculpture is 92 cm tall and was acquired directly from the artist by the current owner. Optochromi’s are innovative sculptures of laminated glass panels held together by aluminum profiles and plexiglass. By refracting light through embedded thin foils, varying colour patterns are created depending on the viewer's position and the angle of incident light. Eric H Olson obtained a patent for this technique in 1958 after years of experimenting and developing a method for their production.
Gudrun Åhlberg, Imagistic portrait
Gudrun Åhlberg's artistic career is highly fascinating. As the only woman, she belonged to the avant-garde group "The Imaginists", an artist collective in Malmö formed by CO Hultén, Max Walter Svanberg, and Anders Österlin from 1945 to 1956. The art of the Imaginists incorporates elements of imaginative surrealism, and their visualized dream fantasies stem from the subconscious. The style is painterly, expressive and poetically ambiguous, breaking away from earlier surrealism and aligning more with the informal art movement that gained increasing popularity after the end of World War II. Åhlberg's dual self-portraits are refined and intriguing, featuring a cool blue-pink palette. Paintings by her are rarely found at auctions.
Henri Matisse, ”Buste de Femme, le bras droit leve”
The significance of Henri Matisse, both as an artist, teacher, and role model to many of the great Swedish modernists, such as Isaac Grünewald, Sigrid Hjertén, and Leander Engström, cannot be overlooked. Therefore, it is truly exciting to present an original work by the artist executed in Tahiti in 1930, a place Matisse travelled to following in the footsteps of his inspiration, Paul Gauguin. "Buste de Femme, le bras droit leve" is executed in the artist's characteristic drawing style, with fewer lines conveying the ultimate contour without losing the model's character or personality.
Karel Appel, ”Femme a la pipe”
Karel Appel was a member of the avant-garde artist collective CoBrA group, which advocated and worked with spontaneous expressionism. Their abstract features represented a break from the more formal, geometric abstract painting that was typical of the time. CoBrA members operated under the theory that art was directly related to the human psyche and the artist's state of mind. In the auctions painting "Femme a la pipe," from 1974, Appel has painted a playful figure smoking a pipe. As is often the case in Appel's art, the colours are thick, and the colour palette is refined and daring. In "Femme a la pipe," the artist has created a humorous and energetic painting that is easy to be fascinated by.
Contacts our Specialists
Stockholm
Lena Rydén
Head of Art, Specialist Modern and 19th century Art
+46 (0)707 78 35 71
Stockholm
Andreas Rydén
Head Specialist, Art, Deputy Managing Director
+46 (0)728 58 71 39
Stockholm
Björn Extergren
Head of Consignment and Sales Department, Fine Art. Specialist Antique Furniture, Decorative Arts and Asian Ceramics
+46 (0)706 40 28 61