KARL AXEL PEHRSON - A Master from the 1947 Generation

KARL AXEL PEHRSON - A Master from the 1947 Generation
Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm is proudly presenting 24 works by the esteemed artist and graphic designer Karl Axel Pehrson. Pehrson was part of the group known as the 1947-års män (1947 Men), who gained recognition from their participation in the Ung konst (Young Art) exhibition at Galleri Färg och Form in Stockholm. His fellow artists in this groundbreaking group included Lennart Rodhe, Olle Bonnér, Pierre Olofsson, Lage Lindell, Uno Vallman, and Randi Fisher—artists who later became known as konkretister or concretists.
Pehrson's works from the late 1940s to the 1960s, such as Nocturne (1954) and Polonäs (printed in 1960), illustrate his use of concrete and abstract expression. His work was deeply rooted in form and color, which evolved over time to encompass imaginative, fantastical creations. During the 1970s and 1980s, Pehrson fully embraced detailed depictions of fictional animals and plants, bringing to life whimsical, imaginary ecosystems in his art.
In his monograph Karl Axel Pehrson, art critic Ulf Linde emphasized how Pehrson merged multiple artistic traditions, drawing inspiration from the 17th-century landscape painter Claude Lorrain, French naïve artist Henri Rousseau, and English landscape artist Marianne North.
Pehrson’s vibrant, tropical gardens seamlessly blend the real with the invented, offering a delightful combination of knowledge and playful humor. As Linde once remarked, the fantastical creatures in Pehrson’s world are “discoveries, not inventions,” giving his art an enduring and dreamlike quality that only grows more charming with time.
Pehrson is also renowned for designing Sweden's prestigious Guldbagge Award, which is presented annually by the Swedish Film Institute.
Auction Date: October 24
Viewing: Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm,
Open Monday-Friday: 1 PM-5 PM; Saturday: 11 AM-2 PM
Location: Galoppvägen 3, Täby