Hjalmar Sandberg, Vichy Scene. Oil on wood. Photo: Hans Thorwid/Nationalmuseum.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a painting by Swedish artist Hjalmar Sandberg. Sandberg participated in exhibitions in Paris in the 1870s and mixed with the greatest Swedish artists of the age, but is a name that has almost been forgotten. The painting of a scene in Vichy is inspired by French Realism and can be seen in the Modern Life exhibition.
Hjalmar Sandberg’s artistic journey started when he worked in a stationery shop in Stockholm, where he sold materials to students at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. He got to know some of the students and in 1877 he travelled to Paris with Carl Larsson to become an artist. He never had any formal artistic training.
The works that Sandberg painted in France show that he was inspired by French Realism and plein air painting. Realism features an interest in everyday and down-to-earth subjects, often portrayed in cloudy weather. The painting from Vichy is very typical of the landscape paintings of the time.
Hjalmar Sandberg participated in a couple of major exhibitions in Paris in 1878 and 1879, but returned to Stockholm and in 1880 was employed as curator for a body called the Association of Nordic Art. He died in Stockholm at the age of only 40.
Many of the Swedish artists who broke through during the 1870s and 1880s came to be the most famous and popular names in Swedish art, including Carl Larsson, Anders Zorn, Bruno Liljefors, Carl Fredrik Hill and Ernst Josephson. Hjalmar Sandberg is one of those who are almost forgotten. The acquisition, made with funds from the Axel Hirsch Foundation, shows that even less well-known artists from this period were able to create extremely good paintings in the spirit of French Realism.
The painting will be displayed in the exhibition Modern Life – France in the 19th Century, which runs until 3 February 2013.
Source: Nationalmuseum
You Might Also Like...
Nationalmuseum has acquired three important Flemish and Dutch cabinet paintings from the collection of Count Gustaf Adolf Sparre – a landscape by Gijsbrecht Leytens and two genre scenes in smaller ...
READ MORE
Nationalmuseum’s major autumn exhibition Pride and Prejudice opens on 27 September. The focus is on female artists in France and Sweden during the 18th and 19th centuries and their opportunities ...
READ MORE
Nationalmuseum’s extensive collection of Dutch old masters has been enriched with the addition of a leading work by Jan Lievens. The painting of Saint Paul is dated 1627–1629 and was ...
READ MORE
Nationalmuseum has acquired an elegant necklace by silversmith and artist Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe. In the mid-20th century, she transformed the way jewellery was made and appreciated through her design language ...
READ MORE
On 20 June, Nationalmuseum launches its summer exhibition on light and darkness in art and life. The show presents examples of how our most renowned artists have used different techniques ...
READ MORE
Nationalmuseum has acquired one of four known examples of Edward Hald’s Cactus Exhibition vase dating from 1926. This is a superb example of the high-quality glass, decorated in contemporary style, ...
READ MORE
Born in 1925, Gerhard Nordström has taken a clear stand for much of his career against the abuse of power and the destruction of the environment. In his art he ...
READ MORE
A centenary appeal launched earlier this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Friends of Nationalmuseum has raised a total of SEK 10.66 million. The donations have funded the ...
READ MORE
Nationalmuseum Acquires Three 17th-Century Paintings from Gustaf Adolf
Pride and Prejudice: Female Artists in France and
Sweden’s Nationalmuseum Announces Acquisition of a Painting by
New Acquisition by Sweden’s Nationalmuseum: Necklace by Vivianna
New Summer Exhibition Opens at Sweden’s Nationalmuseum
Nationalmuseum Announces Acquisition of Cactus Exhibition Vase by
Swedish Artist Gerhard Nordstrom Exhibits at Malmo Konsthall
Nationalmuseum Purchase A Painting By Flemish Artist Nicolas
