Eva Klasson, also known as Amiteera Klasson or Amiteera Birina, is a central figure in Swedish photographic history. Born in 1947 in Brämhult, near Borås, Klasson grew up on a small family farm and was drawn to both art and spirituality from an early age. Yet, her photographic journey truly began in her late teens, when she started taking her first pictures and later became an assistant and retoucher in Gothenburg.
Self-portrait, "Paris 1975", from "Le Troisème Angle".
Early Career and Parisian Breakthrough
Klasson studied briefly under Christer Strömholm in Stockholm, who encouraged her to move to Paris to pursue a career as a freelance photographer. She followed his advice and relocated to Paris in 1969, working for architectural firms, advertising agencies, and various magazines. In Paris, Klasson immersed herself in the city’s vibrant artistic and intellectual circles, eventually marrying poet Jean Marc Dagens.
Her international breakthrough came in 1975–76 with the series Le Troisième Angle (""The Third Angle""), a collection of intimate, close-up self-portraits that blurred the boundaries between the physical, psychological, and the photographic. These images transformed the body into a kind of undulating landscape, challenging conventional notions of self-representation and photographic art. The series was exhibited at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and published as an artist’s book in 1976.
"In bed", clubbed for 623 GBP at Karlstad Hammarö Auktionsverk.
Artistic Legacy and Rediscovery
Klasson’s work was widely exhibited in Paris, Rome, Geneva, and Stockholm during the late 1970s. She created two further series, Ombilic (1977) and Parasites (1978), which continued her exploration of the body and emotional states. Despite her international acclaim, Klasson’s career as a photographer was relatively short-lived; she gave up photography in the early 1980s and moved to the United States.
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in Klasson’s work in Sweden and internationally. She is now recognised as a pioneer for later generations of women artists working with staged photography and issues of identity and the body. Her works are held in major collections such as Moderna Museet (Stockholm), Borås Art Museum, the Hasselblad Foundation, and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Ongoing research and archival projects are helping to secure her legacy as a key figure in the history of photography and feminist art.