The Pair ~ Colour Etching

View image full screen View image full screen View image full screen

< Previous Next >

  • The Pair ~ Colour Etching
  • The Pair ~ Colour Etching alternative image
  • The Pair ~ Colour Etching alternative image

Nils-Erik Björklund (1912-2005)
Paret (The Pair)
1952
Colour etching (13/25)
Signed 'Nils Björklund 52'
10 x 7.5 ins / 25 x 19cms

Sold

Additional Information

Nils-Erik Wilhelm Björklund was born in Rö, just north of Härnösand, Sweden on 22nd October 1912. He was a Swedish artist.

Björklund studied at the Académie des Beaux Arts, Brussels (1933-35) and the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Fine Arts) in Munich (1937) and lived in France for a year until 1938 before returning to Sweden.

Together with his friend Birger Birger-Ericsson (1904-1994), Björklund was the founder member of the 1938 group ‘De Unga’ (‘The Young’). ‘De Unga’ enabled young artists to sell their work directly to the public. Having secured patronage from Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (1865-1947) they had their first exhibition (1938) in a room on Jakobsbergsgatan in central Stockholm.

Since 1938, other members of ‘De Unga’ have included Gosta Sundvall, Jürgen von Konow, Pelle Åberg, Birger Sharp, Bengt Lissegårdh, Sven Olof Rosén, Verner Molin , Olle Nordberg, Gösta Werner, Eva Eriksson, Edvin Öhrström, Knut Hanqvist, Erik H. Olsson and Tore Hultcrantz.

Outside from ‘De Unga’, Björklund exhibited in Sundsvall in 1940 (with Jurgen von Konow) and had his first solo exhibition in Stockholm in 1942. Björklund exhibited throughtout Sweden (including Linkoping, Gothenburg, Umeå, Norrköping and Malmö.) until the mid 1950s.

Björklund caused much controversy when he exhibited an erotic artwork at an exhibition in Sollefteå in the early 1940s. He was also known as Nils-Erik Björklund-Furto (after ‘fyrtå’) because he only had four toes on one foot.

Examples of Björklund’s work can be seen at Konstnärslistan (Nationalmuseum) in Stockholm as well as in in churches and public buildings throughout Sweden.

Björklund died in Stockholm in May 2005. He was 92.