Bruno Liljefors

Beginning in the summer of 1894, Bruno Liljefors expanded his artistic "hunting grounds" from the plains of Uppland to the Stockholm archipelago. Here, among the skerries, rocky outcrops, waves, and breakers, he discovered new motifs in the rich avian life of the outer archipelago.

In 1908, Liljefors purchased Bullerön, situated at the outermost reaches of the Stockholm archipelago. Bullerön is the main island of the Bullerö Archipelago, which is now a nature reserve encompassing approximately 900 islands, islets, and skerries. On this island, at Rävängen, the artist constructed a hunting lodge where he and his family spent their summers. During the early 20th century, Liljefors and his friends in the "Bullerölaget" ("Bullerö Group") contributed to raising public awareness of the archipelago. This circle of friends included prominent artists such as Anders Zorn, Albert Engström, Axel Sjöberg, and the "aviator baron" Carl Cederström. A small bay to the east of Rävängen is today known as "Zorn's Bay," as Zorn often moored his sailboat Mejt there.

In 1923, Liljefors sold Bullerön to the businessman and newspaper publisher Torsten Kreuger, the brother of financier Ivar Kreuger. Kreuger expanded the hunting lodge and invited several famous film stars, including Mary Pickford, Errol Flynn, and Sir Charlie Chaplin, to experience the beauty of the Swedish archipelago. The Swedish state acquired the Bullerö Archipelago in 1967.

From his preserved hunting lodge on Bullerön, which he used between 1908 and 1923, Liljefors had the opportunity to study the archipelago's bird and animal life in their natural environment, observations that were reflected in his artistic works from this period.