Kolonn now presents a selection of paintings by Ragnar Alyre, who in his youth was an apprentice to the artist Ivan Aguéli. The theme includes portraits of well-known figures, among them Alyre’s teacher Aguéli himself, Nils Ferlin, and Albert Engström, as well as atmospheric landscapes in which Aguéli’s influence can clearly be discerned.
Ragnar Alyre was born in 1894 in Visby, on the island of Gotland. Between 1911 and 1912, Ivan Aguéli spent some time living with the Alyre family. During an earlier visit to Gotland, Aguéli had left several paintings behind, and upon his return he was delighted to see them again. During this stay, he took the young Alyre on his walks and taught him the fundamentals of painting. Alyre became Aguéli’s only apprentice before the latter’s death in 1917.
During World War I, Alyre resided in Germany and Austria, where he worked for a time as a war correspondent for the Swedish press. He also participated on the White side in Finland’s struggle for independence against Russia. After the war, he undertook study trips to France, Italy, and Spain, and later also to Turkey and Africa. Alyre exhibited several times during his career, including at Galleri Gummesons in 1928 and Galerie Moderne in 1935. His works are today represented in both the Nationalmuseum and Moderna Museet collections.
