Swedish Museum – Swedish Museum

The bird’s nest

The bird's nest

Carolina Benedicks-Bruce was one of our earliest female sculptors. Carolina Benedicks-Bruce was born into a wealthy Jewish foundry-owning family. Her paternal grandfather Edvard Otto Benedicks, who had emigrated from Saxony, ran Gysinge works in the 1820s and subsequently became one of the wealthiest men in Sweden and enjoyed royal favour. He helped to establish the… Continue reading The bird’s nest

The Cat

Ottilia Adelborg was a key figure within the history of Swedish illustrated books. Ottilia Adelborg was brought up within the family of a nobleman and an officer. Her family home was an educated and affluent one. When her father died in 1865 it became evident that the family’s wealth was tied up in loans and… Continue reading The Cat

August Strindberg

Agnes de Frumerie was mainly active in Paris, where her Art Nouveau sculptures and artwork garnered great attention. She was the only woman to experiment with the creation of a new type of glassware called pâte de verre. Agnes de Frumerie spent her early years with her maternal grandparents in Vänersborg after the divorce of her… Continue reading August Strindberg

Varberg harbour

Mathilda Ranch was a successful photographer with an atelier in Varberg in 1881—1922. She was an important “education centre” for young women from different parts of the country who wanted to learn the photography profession. Mathilda Caroline Ranch was born in 1860 in Copenhagen. Her parents were Theresia Walter and Wilhelm Ranch. Her mother came… Continue reading Varberg harbour

Self-portrait

Ava Lagercrantz

Ava Lagercrantz was an artist and a highly sought-after portrait painter who was active in the USA in the early twentieth century. She was commissioned to paint portraits of King Oscar II and King Gustav V. Ava Lagercrantz was born in Karlskrona in 1862. Towards the end of 1866 she and her family moved to… Continue reading Self-portrait

Cigar Lighter

Märta af Ekenstam was the first female silversmith and embosser in Sweden. She worked in both gold and silver, often combined with ivory, and ran metalworking shops in Malmö and in the USA. Märta af Ekenstam was born in Malmö in 1880. Her father was an officer and she grew up in a large family.… Continue reading Cigar Lighter

Portrait Study

Ida Matton was an artist, primarily a sculptor, who was active in Paris for most of her adult life. She was the only female sculptor to be awarded a medal for sculpture in the Swedish pavilion at the World Fair held in Chicago in 1893. She was also the first foreign sculptor to become a… Continue reading Portrait Study

Friends

Hanna Pauli was a pioneer of the visual arts in the 1880s. She is best known for her seminal portrait of the Finnish artist Venny Soldan-Aho along with her group portrait entitled Vännerna. Hanna Pauli was the youngest daughter of the music publisher Abraham Hirsch and Pauline Meyerson. She grew up in Gamla stan (the… Continue reading Friends

Sunshine

Fanny Brate was a genre painter who depicted Swedish nature, folklore, and home interiors. She also painted portraits. Fanny Brate was born in Stockholm in 1861. Her father was Johan Frans Gustaf Oscar Ekbom, who served as a royal factor for King Oscar II. Her mother was Henriette Alexandrine Dahlgren. Fanny Brate trained as an… Continue reading Sunshine

The Annunciation

Sigrid Blomberg was a significant sculptor, best known for her sacred art. Sigrid Blomberg grew up on her father’s farm in Skärshult, Småland along with five siblings. She was the daughter of Charlotte Lundqvist and the property owner Alfred Blomberg. Sigrid Blomberg spent her school years at the Nisbeth girls’ school in Kalmar. She began… Continue reading The Annunciation

Yvonne fille de Bretonne

Ruth Milles was a well-known artist of the early twentieth century, who was particularly known for her statuettes. Ruth Milles grew up on Örby farm in Uppland in a francophile environment. Her father, Emil Andersson, had served as a second lieutenant in the French campaigns in Tunisia and received the order of the Légion d’Honneur.… Continue reading Yvonne fille de Bretonne

The Unicorn in the Forest

Märta Måås-Fjetterström was an internationally renowned textile artist of the early 1900s. Märta Måås-Fjetterström was born in Kimstad in Östergötland in 1873. Her family later moved to Vadstena where her father Rudolf Fjetterström was a rural dean. Her mother Livia tended to the family farm and gave birth to eight children. During the period of… Continue reading The Unicorn in the Forest

At the piano

Mina Carlson-Bredberg was an artist who was active during the decades around 1900. Mina Carlson-Bredberg was born in Gothenburg in 1857. Her family was otherwise well rooted in wealthy circles in Stockholm. Her father Henrik Vilhelm Bredberg was a judge in the Court of Appeal and her mother Josefina Lovisa, née Smerling, was the daughter… Continue reading At the piano

The Red Cross

Red Cross 1917

Jenny Nyström was an artist and an illustrator. She was the first woman in Sweden to be awarded a royal medal for her historically-themed painting. Her legacy was established by the popularity of her depictions of “tomte” (a mythological creature often associated with Christmas). Jenny Nyström was born in Kalmar. She was the daughter of… Continue reading The Red Cross

Swedish modernist avant-garde movement

Swedish modernist avant-garde – girl's head

Sigrid Hjertén was an artist who was one of the leading figures of the Swedish modernist avant-garde movement. She was particularly acclaimed for her expressive use of colour. Sigrid Hjertén was born in 1885 and grew up in Sundsvall. Her mother, Maria Rahm, belonged to a well-to-do family from the town. Her maternal uncle Johan… Continue reading Swedish modernist avant-garde movement

The Graveyard in the Mountains

Anna Boberg was a painter and a versatile artist who also created ceramic-, glass- and textile-art. A defining moment in her life was coming face to face with the arctic landscape of Lofoten when she was in her 30s. Anna Boberg was brought up in Stockholm in an upper middle-class family. Her father, architect and… Continue reading The Graveyard in the Mountains

Tag: Swedish Museum