Karl Nordström - in the service of art

Karl Nordström was born in 1855 on the island of Tjörn in Bohuslän, a place that would remain important to him throughout his life and a place he would return to often. Upon entering the Art Academy in 1875, he got to know Richard Bergh, who became a lifelong friend. The two, and other friends that Nordström made during his early formative years, are all key figures in what later becomes Swedish art history.

This themed auction with items from Karl and Tekla Nordström's family shows a steadfast and multifaceted artist while also reflecting Swedish art history during the important years around the turn of the century 18/1900. The auction follows the different parts of Nordström's artistic development from France, Tjörn, Varberg and up to Stockholm.

Through personal letters and documents, we also get an insight into the network of friends and artists who formed the circle of friends around the couple Karl and Tekla Nordström. The auction also shows his role as a leading figure in the national romantic movement within painting. Some believe that Nordström's wide popularity never came as his strong-willed and steadfast qualities could be interpreted as harshness and ruthlessness. At the same time, there are testimonies that he was held in high esteem by so many for the same qualities and that it was interpreted with respect and admiration in the contemporaries.

Regardless of his personality, it is his art that remains and speaks for itself - an art that, through technical and painterly skill, can depict nature visionarily and with great emotional depth.