Female Artists - Famous & Forgotten

The collection being auctioned at Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm celebrates both renowned and overlooked Swedish female artists who worked during the first half of the 20th century. These independent artists, many of whom did not receive the recognition they deserved in their lifetimes, are now being honored in an auction that includes 160 works by over 100 artists, using a variety of techniques. The auction offers a journey through art history, from the late 19th century to the present day.
Familiar names like Agda Holst, Madeleine Pyk, Ruth Milles, Greta Gerell, Esther Kjerner, Eva Bagge, Ester Henning, Marie-Louise Ekman De Geer, Mona Huss Walin, Ester Almqvist, Maja Fjaestad, and Tora Vega Holmström are well represented. The auction also includes more obscure and rarely seen artists, such as Nora von Samson-Himmelstjerna Lundgren, Virginia Larsson, Dorothy Ruhne-Sepinski, and Elisabeth Barnekow, along with textile artists like Ingrid Segerlind-Lindblad and Lillian Holm.
Highlights of the auction include a vibrant painting by Vera Frisén from Överkalix, often referred to as "a Swedish Schjerfbeck," Maj Bring's standing woman, several Stockholm scenes by Mona Huss Walin, and Tyra Kleen's bibliophile edition Tempeldanser och musikinstrument från Bali. Mollie Faustman's sensitively painted Mansporträtt and Anna Grau's photorealistic works stand out as two of the stronger pieces. The sculpture category is represented by Ruth Milles, Lena Börjeson, Naima Uustalu, and several Körångare sculptures by Marie Jonsson-Långhans.
A key exhibition for female artists was Liljevalchs' De drogo till Paris in 1988, which showcased Nordic painting from the 1880s, including works by Hanna Pauli and Helene Schjerfbeck. The artists shared a connection to 1880s Paris, where women could study and live more freely than in their home countries. This exhibition was a major success of the 1980s, and several artists from that period who studied in Paris are featured in this auction. These include Greta Gerell, Agda Holst, Maj Bring, and many others who studied under Henri Matisse, André Lhote, and Fernand Léger.
In more recent years, efforts to highlight significant female artists have gained momentum. Projects like the Moderna Museet's Det Andra Önskemuseet (The Other Wish Museum) from 2006-2009 aimed to complete the collection with works by female artists from the first half of the 20th century. Artists like Sigrid Hjertén, Vera Nilsson, and Siri Derkert are now ranked as highly as their male contemporaries. Exhibitions of artists who were previously overlooked, such as Julia Beck, Eva Bonnier, and Hilma af Klint, have further contributed to this effort.
Bit by bit, art history is being rewritten to correct past oversights. Talents that were overshadowed by the norms of their time are finally being brought into the light. While much progress has been made, there is still more to discover, and this thematic auction is a step in the right direction.