There is something immediate in Max Gregor Carlsson's painting. His style is recognizable among hundreds of others. Perhaps it's the choice of motifs, or the black outlines first seen in the works of the early modernists, or maybe it's the grayscale and the contrasts between darkness and light, with well-balanced splashes of color. It could be a lemon-yellow roof plate or a bright orange orange. The influences feel continental, and it was indeed in Europe where he received his education. After a few years at the Skåne School of Painting, he moved to Paris in the early 1950s, where he studied under André Lhote.
At Crafoord Auctioneers in Malmö, we find Max Gregor Carlsson at his best. There are his characteristic works from the 1950s and 60s, with those signature, well-defined surfaces. Look at "Model in Red"—doesn't it remind you of Henri Matisse, but with a Swedish twist? If you haven't encountered Max Gregor Carlsson before, the paintings in Malmö provide an excellent introduction to his artistic career.
