Without intending to, the collection now offered for sale began at an exhibition at Tomarp's Kungsgård in 1999. I was captivated by a self-portrait by Johan Patricny. Patricny, born in 1976, was then studying at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and had already spent half a year as a student of Odd Nerdrum! That Patricny is now a frequently commissioned portrait painter is no coincidence.
Seventeen years after the exhibition at Tomarp's Kungsgård, I had the opportunity to acquire a self-portrait by another Nerdrum student, Trine Folmoe. That was when my collection of self-portraits truly began. Today, three homes later, a step closer to the grave, and with my own little exhibition space, Torekov's Kulturhus, which cannot hold everything, it is time to part ways. It was fun while it lasted.
For it was fun. Even though many self-portraits are made with great seriousness—as they should be—some are also made with a twinkle in the eye and no small amount of self-awareness. Take Hans Wigert's work, for example. Or Ivan Ivarson's more painful "After a Strenuous Day."
Some works have a backside, often of a surprising nature. Gösta Sandels, for instance. Birger Ljungquist reused a discarded canvas with a typical Ljungquist motif. Mas Olles' self-portrait has been equipped by a previous owner with an informative biographical text. Anders Zorn's self-portrait in his old age has, by another previous owner, been filled with a reflection on a work's value, whether signed or unsigned, and in this case, additionally crossed—perhaps unique in its kind. I myself contribute with a copy of a significantly older graphic master's work, thereby hinting at who the Swedish master might have had in mind. Enjoy.
Warmly welcome to explore these and other works by, among others, Hugo Simberg, Ivan Ivarson, Carl Kylberg, and Stig Lindberg.
