BIRGITTA GLENMARK. Composition, acrylic on aluminium, unsigned.

99 x 30 cm.

Sold in aid of the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden).

"I am abstract," said Birgitta Glenmark (born 1957). And she chose to paint in an abstract, non-figurative, expressive style originating from early 20th-century art. With a distinct sense for the significance and properties of colour, she conveyed feelings of intense zest for life in her pictures. Warm and cold colours, light and dark, were allowed to meet in constantly new constellations that provide a sense of both rhythm and movement. In her processing of colour, she also approaches music.

Birgitta was a physician by profession and debuted late with her painting, but she showed an interest in painting already during her formative years, inspired by the artistic environment in which she moved. She first exhibited solo in the early 2010s and also participated in group exhibitions. By day, she used her hands with precision as a surgeon; by night, she created art with the same hands.

Birgitta painted her pictures on canvas or aluminium, using either a brush or a scraper as a tool. She applied the paint, preferably acrylic, in thin, almost transparent layers that partially overlapped. By working in this way, she created intimacy and depth in an interplay. In the pictures, various forms arise that seem to float both behind and in front, which reinforces the spatial impression. In her painting, colour and light together give expression to an inner state, but she also generously invites the viewer to make their own interpretation.

In February 2026, Birgitta Glenmark suddenly fell ill with bile duct cancer and passed away four weeks later. She left behind a multitude of artworks in her studio. Her husband Anders and daughter Julia turned to Formstad Auktioner for guidance, and they have now generously decided to sell the large collection in aid of the Swedish Cancer Society. It is the hope of the family and Formstad that Birgitta's works will find new owners, that the works will provide energy and joy of life in their new homes, and that the donation to the Swedish Cancer Society will contribute to saving lives in the future.