Elli Hemberg 1896-1994
Elin Elisabeth (Elli) Hemberg was born in Skövde, southern Sweden on 13th November 1896. She was a Swedish painter and sculptor.
Hemberg attended secondary school in Uppsala (1915-1917) before studying at Carl Wilhelmsson's art school in Stockholm from 1918 until 1922 - Carl Wilhelmsson (1866-1928) was a Swedish painter, who, in 1925 became the associate professor of painting at the Royal Institute of Art (Kungliga konsthögskolan) in Stockholm.
In 1922 Hemberg participated in the 'November exhibition' (Novemberutställningen) at he Liljevalchs konsthall (an art gallery located on the Djurgården island in Stockholm, which was designed by architect Carl Bergsten and inaugurated in March 1916).
In September 1923 Hemberg married Dr. Sven Erlansson (1896-1966) in the medieval church at Våmb, just outside Skövde. Hemberg undertook study trips to Italy and Paris (1923), Vienna and Italy (1925), Paris (1929), Norway (1937) and Holland (1938). Hembergs first solo exhibition was at Galerie Moderne, Stockholm in 1942.
In the mid 1940s Hemberg started to work closely with her friend, the Swedish avant-garde artist and art critic, Otto Gustaf Carlsund (1897-1948) and in 1947 she exhibited alongside him at the prestigious Konstnärshuset in Stockholm - Located in central Stockholm, The Konstnärshuset (Artist House) is the home of the Swedish Artists Association (SKF) and the Artists' Club.
During this period Hemberg's paintings became increasingly abstract. By the mid 1950s her painting had become so focused on form and rhythm that sculpture was the obvious next step. By the mid-1960s, Hemberg, along with Olle Bærtling (1911-1981) and Karl Göte (KG) Bejemark (1922-2000) was at the forefront of the Swedish avant-garde sculpture scene at revolved around the Konstsalongen Samlaren in Stockholm.
Hemberg worked continuously throughout the 1970s and 1980s on both gallery and architectural sculpture projects.
Examples of Hembergs work can be seen at Skissernas Museum, Lund, Borås Museum of Art, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Skövde Konsthall & Konstmuseum (Art Gallery & Museum), Norrköping Art Museum, the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art) in Stockholm, Västerås Art Museum, Museum Anna Nordlander in Skellefteå and the National Public Art Council in Stockholm and Uppsala.
Elli Hemberg died in Stockholm on 23rd May 1994, aged 97.
