Female pioneers - Famous and Forgotten

The collection being auctioned at Crafoord Auctions Stockholm includes famous and, not least, forgotten Swedish female artists who worked between 1910 and 1950. All of them were independent artists who, during their lifetimes, did not receive the recognition they deserved.
The auction features around 260 works by over 160 artists, using various techniques. It is a journey through art history, from the late 19th century to the present day. Well-known artist names are represented, such as Anna Palm de Rosa, Agda Holst, Siri Derkert, Vera Nilsson, Madeleine Pyk, Lena Cronqvist, and Birgit Broms. There are also more obscure and rarely seen artistic talents, including Fanny Låstbom, Gunhild Sahlin, Louise “Ise” Morssing, Rosa Nordenskiöld, and Britta Marakatt-Labba.
Some highlights of the auction include paintings by Vera Frisén, also known as "A Swedish Schjerfbeck," Vera Nilsson's museum-quality work "Sovande Ginga," and Agda Holst's still life dated 1924. On the sculpture side, there are works by Carin Nilson, Alice Nordin, Mariana Manner, Margareta Ryndel, and impressive bronze portraits by Solveig Pripp and Dagmar Lodén.
A key exhibition for female artists was Liljevalchs' "De drogo till Paris" (They Went to Paris) in 1988, which highlighted Nordic painting from the 1880s. A total of 250 works were exhibited, including pieces by Hanna Pauli and Helene Schjerfbeck. What these artists had in common was 1880s Paris, where women could receive an education and live under freer conditions than in their home countries. The exhibition was a great success in the 1980s.
The current auction also includes later generations of female artists who studied in the art metropolis of Paris. Among them are Jane Gumpert, Mollie Faustman, Greta Gerell, Laila Prytz, Agda Holst, Brita Nordencreutz, Ingegerd Beskow, Birgitta Hammarskiöld, who were students of Henri Matisse and André Lhote. Other Swedish artists who undertook study trips to Paris and are now represented include Clara Löfgren, Elisabeth Warling, Tyra Kleen, Carin Nilson, Agnes Wieslander, Hedvig Tegnér, Ingeborg Westfelt-Eggertz, Märta Leijonhielm, Tekla Nordström, Hellewi Kullman, Christine Sundberg, Lea Ahlborn, Siri Rathsman, Eddie Figge, and Dagny Cassel.
Efforts have also been made in recent years to highlight significant female artistic talents. This work has resulted in artists like Sigrid Hjertén, Vera Nilsson, Siri Derkert, and others being ranked as highly as their male contemporaries. An important project was Moderna Museet's initiative "Det Andra Önskemuseet" (The Other Desire Museum) from 2006-2009, which aimed to complement the collection with works by female artists, primarily from the first half of the 20th century. The museum acquired works such as Tora Vega Holmström's "Främlingar" (Strangers). Major exhibitions of artists previously overlooked, such as Julia Beck, Eva Bonnier, and Hilma af Klint, have also been held.
Piece by piece, the history of art is being corrected. Talents who, due to the norms of their time, were overshadowed, are now coming to light. There is still much to do and discover, and we hope that this theme auction contributes to that effort!