Female Artists - Famous & Forgotten

The collection being auctioned at Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm includes famous and often forgotten Swedish female artists who worked between 1910 and 1950. All of them were independent artists who did not receive the attention they deserved during their lifetimes. The auction features nearly 120 works by over 80 artists with different techniques, taking us on a journey through art history from the late 19th century to today. Well-known artists such as Agda Holst, Tyra Lundgren, Siri Derkert, Madeleine Pyk, Lena Cronqvist, Ruth Milles, Berta Hansson, Marianne Lindberg De Geer, and Tora Vega Holmström are represented. There are also lesser-known and rarely featured artists, including Elsa Nilsson, Britt Seth Wiggberg, Nora von Samson-Himmelstjerna Lundgren, Elsa Nordström, as well as textile artists such as Kaisa Melanton, Astrid Constantine, Gulli Lindström-Gillqvist, and Margareta Gelin.
Some of the highlights of the auction include a fine collection of works by Ester Henning (12 pieces), paintings by Vera Frisén, also known as "A Swedish Schjerfbeck," Mona Huss Wallin's suite "Göteborgs hamn," Tyra Kleen and Nell Walden (x2), and Hedvig Tegnérs fresh and summery triptych from 1922.
On the sculpture side, there are works by Solveig Pripp, Ruth Milles, Inga-Louise Lindgren, Sonja Petterson with her "Family Portrait" in earthenware, and Marta Runemarks embellished mirror.
A key exhibition for female artists was Liljevalchs' "They went to Paris" in 1988, where Nordic painting from the 1880s was highlighted. A total of 250 works were exhibited, including those by Hanna Pauli and Helene Schjerfbeck. What these artists had in common was 1880s Paris, where women could study and live under freer conditions than in their home countries. The exhibition was a great success in the 1980s.
The current auction also includes later generations of female artists who studied in the art metropolis of Paris, including Jane Gumpert, Greta Gerell, Agda Holst, Birgit Forssell, Maj Bring, and Ingegerd Beskow, who were students of Henri Matisse and André Lhote. Other Swedish artists who undertook study trips to Paris and are now showcased include Tyra Kleen, Hedvig Tegnér, Gerd Nordenskjöld, Ingeborg Westfelt-Eggertz, Margareta Ken Oborg, Lilly Rydström-Wickelberg, Lolo Holmquist, Elisabeth Keyser, Thekla Schultz, and Siri Rathsman.
In recent years, efforts have been made to highlight significant female artistic achievements. This work has resulted in artists like Sigrid Hjertén, Vera Nilsson, Siri Derkert, among others, being ranked as highly as their contemporary male counterparts. An important project was Moderna museet's initiative, "The Other Wish Museum," from 2006-2009, which aimed to complement the collection with works by female artists primarily from the first half of the 20th century. The museum acquired works such as Tora Vega Holmström's "Strangers." There have also been major exhibitions of artists who were previously neglected, such as Julia Beck, Eva Bonnier, and Hilma af Klint.
Piece by piece, the history of art is being corrected. Talents that were overshadowed by the norms of the past are now coming to light. There is still much to do and more to discover, and we hope that this themed auction helps in this endeavor!
The auction will be online on March 10th. Viewing at Galoppvägen 3 Täby, Monday-Friday from 1 PM to 5 PM, Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM.