Good Art XIV

Crafoord Auctions Stockholm presents the themed auction "Good Art"
Crafoord Auctions Stockholm presents the themed auction Good Art, where this month’s selection of notable artists and works is highlighted — pieces that deserve to be seen in context and, hopefully, to grace many walls.
We are championing art and showcasing more than 200 works by artists such as Emil Nolde, Olle Baertling, Lars Lerin, Pierre Alechinsky, Sven Jonson, Andy Warhol with Electric Chair, Ann Edholm, Sixten Lundbohm, Beck & Jung, Mårten Andersson, Carl Oscar Borg, as well as originals by Lucebert and Max Papart.
Other highlights include a fine painting by Dick Beer from 1917, Joël Mattsson Mila’s painting from 1922, originals by Guy Charon, Hans Peter Zimmer, and Alfred Lenica, signed graphics by Bernard Buffet, Marino Marini, and Jean Dubuffet, as well as Andreas Englund’s monumental triptych.
Also featured is an interesting collection by Jean Fourastié (1944–1998) with provenance from Bob Asklöf (1942–2011), Swedish actor and singer. Two other rarities include Owe Gustafson’s original illustration for Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter (Five Ants Are More Than Four Elephants) and Wilhelm Kåge’s original 1917 poster.
In addition, the auction presents a fascinating and unique collection of art literature containing original lithographs, including XXe Siècle issues 11–20 featuring works by Soulages, Poliakoff, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Miró, and Appel, among others (issue no. 12 with Fontana will be sold later this autumn).
On the sculpture side, the auction features works by Karl Momen, Bror Marklund, Torsten Renqvist, Eric H. Olson, Emil Näsvall, Conrad Carlman, K-A Pehrson, Walter Bengtsson, Puck Stocklassa’s bronze The Free Word, and a bronze sculpture of the so-called Blaiseholmstorg Horse.
The name Good Art has been used before. In 1941, the exhibition “Good Art in Every Home” opened under the auspices of HSB, aiming to promote good art in people’s homes at affordable prices. A jury of artists and critics selected the works — including GAN, Oskar Bergman, Einar Jolin, Arne Jones, Isaac Grünewald, Sixten Lundbohm, and Erik and Axel Olson — and the exhibition’s 10th anniversary was later celebrated at Liljevalchs in Stockholm.
That same year, Gunnar Hjorthén (1913–1997) opened his Gallery Good Art in Gothenburg, which became an important institution in the city’s art scene. Hjorthén promoted young artists such as Ivan Ivarson, Karin Parrow, Ragnar Sandberg, and Inge Schiöler, helping to establish Gothenburg Colourism as a recognized movement. Like the Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, he sought inspiration in Paris and introduced new French painting to Swedish audiences — for instance, through an exhibition of Tsuguharu Foujita in 1953.