A set of three ship portraits depicting a Swedish ship of an older model, two-masted sailing ship with a raised Union flag, and a view of Helsingør harbour with ships in the foreground and Kronborg in the background, oil on panel, first half of the 20th century.

Unknown artist (various)

Frame dimensions approx. 22-24x27-32 cm

Provenance:

The collectors Harriet and Sven Borgström.

Harriet (1930-2024) and Sven Borgström (1928-2022) met in Malmö as early as
adolescence.
Sven, who painted a lot already at that time, trained in painting, drawing and graphic design
at the Technical School in Malmö under the direction of Jules Schyl (1883-1977).
Towards the end of the 1940s he began working as an advertising cartoonist at the Telegram Agency in
Copenhagen together with colleagues John Melin and Anders Österlin to
a few years moving to Stockholm where he got a job as a cartoonist at the then large ad agency
Torsten Ericsson in 1953. During his first time in Stockholm, he shared an apartment with Christer
Strömholm, who at the time went by his pre-franked pseudonym Christer Christian. Christer had
during his stay in Paris discovered the city's flea markets and it was probably through him
the collector's spark was lit at the Borgström couple. When Sven had started his new job, Harriet arrived
who was a newly trained nurse in Lund soon after when they moved into their first own
apartment at Sankt Eriksplan.
In 1957, the small family that then had a son, Matz Borgström (1954-) moved to the new
The modern Stockholm suburb of Vällingby and shortly after, her daughter Bodil (1958-) was born. IN
The townhouse on Timrågatan on the so-called Vällingby Hill has since lived up to its
demise. Sven in 2022 and Harriet in 2024.
A life filled with culture.
Annual pass at Moderna Museet, Classical music at Konserthuset, Ballet at the Opera as
members of the Operabalettens Klubb, Theatre at Dramaten, Art and
Art and craft exhibitions at Galleries and visits to artists. Countless visits to
Auktionsverket with a keen interest in ceramics, glass, porcelain, beautiful furniture, art and
design. They became good friends already in the 1950s with, among others, Inez Svensson, Estrid Ericson
and Herta Hillfon.
Sven ran a Design Agency, “Grafisk Design AB” in Vällingby for more than 30 years, with clients
like Swedish Match, GB, Vattenfall, DUX and many more.
He also designed a number of logos that we still see today, such as
The symbol of the pharmacy company with the snake, which at the same time is the letter a.
When HM, which at the time was named Hennes & Mauritz, decided to open a store in
Stockholm was commissioned by Sven to design the store.
He also, in consultation with the scientists and planners involved, drew the illustrations to how
the salvage of the Wasa ship would go to and what the museum would look like.
Their shared interest in beautiful, fun and interesting things of all the kinds has provided
A living and personal home. And the gathering has been both instructive and a great joy for
Harriet and Sven and their family.