Einar Nerman - a private collection

Explore a private collection that includes fine examples of Einar Nerman's extensive and varied production. For most people, the artist is best known for his illustration "Solstickepojken", depicting his son Tom who has adorned our matchboxes since 1936.

Einar Nerman (1888-1983) was a versatile person. He worked as an artist, illustrator as well as a stage artist. He studied for Henri Matisse in Paris and at Carl Wilhelmson in Stockholm to be an artist. In parallel, he was also a student at Elin Svensson's Dramatic Student School and studied dance for Anna Behle during the 1910s. He was a generation friend with, among others, Isaac Grünewald and Einar Jolin, together with whom he exhibited at the exhibition "1909 men". Einar Nerman also participated in theatre and dance productions in Stockholm and toured as a dance artist in Europe and the USA.

However, it is mainly as an illustrator that he is known. From an early age, his art moved towards illustration. He enjoyed working with drawings and silhouettes - the inspiration for these he took from the world of art, theatre and dance and later also from the world of film. He was also a well-travelled artist who lived abroad for long periods. He was frequently hired as an illustrator in comic books in Sweden, Europe and the USA.