The artist's artist, appreciated by both colleagues and critics.
At the age of 18, Östmar began studying at the School of Arts and Crafts in Gothenburg and five years later at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. At the Royal Institute of Art, he was appointed as a professor of drawing in 1976 for a ten-year term, and drawing became his calling. Even as a painter and sculptor, drawing remained central in Östmar's work. He was a master at capturing movement and could convey a personal touch with just a few lines.
His debut exhibition took place in 1964 at the prestigious Blanche Gallery in Stockholm, where he showcased paintings and sculptures. During the 1960s and 1970s, he exhibited at galleries such as Dr Glas Gallery and Prisma Gallery in Stockholm, Galleriet in Lund, Galerie Leger and Händer Gallery in Malmö. Since his death in 2007, his works have been shown at Lars Bohman Gallery and Olsson Gallery, as well as in a major retrospective in 2014 at Bror Hjorth's House. Incidentally, Bror Hjorth was his teacher at the Royal Institute of Art.
Östmar illustrated "Bananbok" by Lennart Hellsing and is represented in collections including the Moderna Museet and Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Norrköping Art Museum, the Malmö Museum, and the Borås Museum.
He was awarded scholarships from institutions such as the Sandrew Foundation in 1960, the H Ax:son Johnson Foundation in 1960, and the Stora Konstlotteriet in 1962. He also received the Ester Lindahl Scholarship in 1970 and the Prince Eugen Medal in 1998. In 1977, he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts.
