Carl Milles

In the sculpture group "Europa och Tjuren" (Europa and the Bull) Carl Milles captures the contrast between the heavy, powerful bull and the graceful, fleeting female figure, between masculine strength and feminine charm. Movement and flight are common characteristics in Milles' art, and Europa's fluttering cloak enhances the forward motion in an elegant manner. Despite its weight, "Europa och Tjuren" conveys a sense of weightlessness. Today, "Europa och Tjuren" is considered one of Carl Milles' absolute masterpieces.

During the first half of the 20th century, Milles was the sculptor who dominated the Swedish art scene. He completed a very large number of public commissions in Sweden and abroad. He was the monumental sculptor who received major decoration commissions at a time when many cities were being expanded and modernized.

In 1921, the city of Halmstad, through a donation, received funds for a city fountain, and a competition was announced. The submissions received were not up to standard, so the authorities turned directly to Milles. The choice of motif and design was clear early on for the artist, and in the same year, he wrote to his wife Olga in a letter dated June 1, 1921:

"The gentlemen from Halmstad were very pleased with Tritonbrunn (Triton Fountain) featuring Europa och Tjuren."

However, it would take five years before Milles was satisfied with the final composition, and the monumental fountain "Europa och Tjuren" was put in place. Milles drew the motif from ancient mythology - the Phoenician princess Europa who was carried across the sea by the god Zeus, who had transformed himself into a bull. In the Halmstad city fountain the monumental bull rises with Europa on its back.from the middle of the basin, Around them, water sprays from the four tritons placed at the corners of the basin.

The Royal Court foundry Lauritz Rasmussen in Copenhagen was awarded the casting of the sculpture group and finally delivered the fountain in 1926. At that time, Lauritz Rasmussen was in constant competition with the Herman Bergman foundry in Stockholm concerning Milles' larger sculpture groups. The auction's sculpture "Europa och Tjuren" is, like the original, cast at the foundry of Lauritz Rasmussen in Copenhagen.

In 1931, Milles was offered a professorship for the sculpture department at the Cranbrook Educational Community in Michigan by newspaperman Georg Gough Booth. During his two-decade-long stay at Cranbrook, he worked closely with his friend, the architect Eliel Saarinen. Together, they designed the surroundings, which were adorned with sculptures, including "Europa och Tjuren" at Millesgården in Stockholm, a replica of the sculpture group can be found, and additional examples of the fountain's central figure are located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, USA.

Photo: Yanan Li, Millesgården.