ALBERT JOHANSSON. "Etagé II", mixed media on Board, signed à verso, 1965.

51 x 40 cm.

Albert Karl Johan Johansson, born on July 29, 1926 in Stensele in Lapland and died in 1998, was a Swedish painter, draftsman and graphic artist. He was born in Västerbotten and already felt a strong attraction to art at a young age. In Umeå he met and received support and guidance from the artist Helge Linden, who became his first artistic mentor.

The search for his artistic identity then led him to Stockholm, where he studied at the Modern Art School for a period. In Stockholm, he got to know the artists Olle Baertling and Oscar Reuterswärd, who became significant for his artistic development. During this time, the informal, non-figurative and concrete art spread through Europe, and Johansson found his expression. He created abstract paintings with simplicity and color combined with clean lines, creating an exciting dynamic in his work.

Albert Johansson's artistic breakthrough came in 1958 when he exhibited at the Sturegalleriet in Stockholm. During his career he was experimental and explored different modes of expression. He never belonged to any specific artistic discipline and was known to change his direction regularly. He was inspired by the religions, symbols and signs of older cultures, and these elements were integrated into his paintings. During the 1960s he also began to create mask reliefs, where facial masks were repeated in monochrome paintings. These works explored the existential difficulties of man and the voice of the collective in a de-individualized world.