Good Art XI

Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm presents the themed auction Good Art No. 11 – a monthly selection of works by interesting and established artists.

Nearly 200 works are highlighted in this auction, which aims to help art find its natural place in the home and brighten many walls.

Among the participating artists are well-known names such as Olle Baertling, Lena Cronqvist, Salvador Dalí, Wilhelm Kåge, Ellen Jolin, Sixten Lundbohm, Siri Derkert, Marie-Louise Ekman, Lambert Werner, Woldemar Tank, and Denise Grünstein, along with several paintings by Astrid Harms-Ringdahl and Per Fischer.

Other highlights include works by Fernand Léger’s students – Kerstin Rääf and Siri Meyer – as well as prints like Max Ernst’s color etching La Brebis galante and Picasso’s Lithographe II–III. Bert Håge Häverö’s richly detailed painting By the Old Dance Pavilion is a particularly vibrant contribution. In the category of international painting, a piece by Ioannis Sergoulopoulos, depicting a view of Athens and the Acropolis, is highly recommended.

On the sculpture side, the auction features works by Carl Eldh, Axel Wallenberg, Lis Hooge-Hansen, Bror Hjorth, Gustaf Nordahl, Per Hasselberg, and Sonja Katzin.
In addition to the established names, there are also high-quality paintings by lesser-known artists—see auction numbers: 4253738, 4236230, and 4258874.

God Konst – A Tradition
The name God Konst (“Good Art”) has a history. In 1941, the exhibition GOD KONST I ALLA HEM (“Good Art in Every Home”) was organized by the housing cooperative HSB. The aim was to promote art in Swedish homes. In the catalogue’s foreword, it was noted that building good housing was not enough—art also needed to have its place. The goal was to make art accessible to a wider public at reasonable prices. A special jury of leading artists and art experts reviewed the works to ensure quality.

At the exhibition, for instance, one could purchase GAN’s painting Berns 1918 for 5,000 SEK, Ratten in tempera for 350 SEK, and Laboratorium for 500 SEK.
Among the artists participating in this educational effort were Oskar Bergman, Einar Jolin, Arne Jones, Isaac Grünewald, Sixten Lundbohm, and Erik and Axel Olson. The exhibition celebrated its 10th anniversary at Liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm.
That same year, 1941, Gunnar Hjorthén (1913–1997) opened Galleri God Konst on Vallgatan in Gothenburg – a gallery that would become an institution in the Gothenburg art scene. The gallery later moved to Drottninggatan, the Concert Hall, and Södra Vägen. Hjorthén especially championed young artists, including Ivan Ivarson, Karin Parrow, Ragnar Sandberg, and Inge Schiöler – artists who helped establish the term Göteborgskolorism (Gothenburg Colourism). Like the Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, Hjorthén looked early on to Paris and introduced international influences, including an exhibition of Tsuguharu Foujita in 1953.