Printmaking in Sweden

National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

"From Darkness Into Light: Printmaking in Sweden 1890-1960"
Print Gallery (7 September - 4 December 2005). Admission free.

An exhibition of nineteenth and twentieth-century Swedish prints will go on view in the National Gallery of Ireland (Print Gallery) from 7th September until 4th December 2005. Admission is free.

The exhibition, entitled "From Darkness Into Light: Printmaking in Sweden 1890-1960", comprises some 6o black and white prints largely drawn from the collection of the Swedish Fine Art Print Society (FfGK), including a fine selection of prints by Axel Fridell (1894-1935) from the renowned personal collection of HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Anne Hodge, curator of the exhibition and author of the accompanying illustrated brochure, says that this is the first exhibition of its kind to be shown in Ireland and is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work of twentieth-century Swedish printmakers whose work is notable for its virtuosity and technical experimentation. Many of the images give an insight into a distinctive way of seeing and recording life, inspired in part by the dark winter days and the breathtaking grandeur of the Nordic landscape.

Like their Irish contemporaries, Swedish artists were driven by their relative isolation to seek inspiration, training and patronage in the great art centres of London, Paris and Berlin. One of the most exciting and influential printmakers of the period was Axel Fridell (1894-1935) who, like many others of his generation, spent time in Paris and London to study and hone their art. Among the other artists whose work is represented in this show are Stig Borglind (1892-1965), Albert Engström (1896-1940), Prins Eugen (1865-1947), Maja Fjæstad (1873-1961), Carl Flodman (1863-1888), Ragnhild Nordensten (1888-1951), Hans Norsbo (1897-1955), Anders Zorn (1860-1920).

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated brochure (available from the Gallery Shop, price €2) with essays by Karl Haskel, Chairman of the FfGK, Rachelle Puryear, Printmaker, and Anne Hodge, Curator of Prints and Drawings.
A series of talks around the exhibition will take place in the Gallery's Lecture Theatre each Sunday and Tuesday throughout September (admission free).

"From Darkness into Light: Printmaking in Sweden 1890-1960" has been organised in conjunction with a Graphic Studio Gallery exhibition (8 September-1 October 2005) featuring the work of contemporary Swedish printmakers, curated by James McCreary and Lars Nyberg. There will also be a special week of Swedish events taking place in venues around Dublin.

Visit www.nationalgallery.ie or www.graphicstudiodublin.com
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A strong tradition of printmaking developed in Scandinavia during the early twentieth century and printmakers of this period are notable for their virtuosity and technical experimentation. Like their Irish contemporaries, Swedish artists were driven by their relative isolation to seek inspiration, training and patronage in the great European art centres of London, Paris and Berlin.

Printmaking developed against a background of rapid industrialisation and expansion, particularly in Stockholm. The urban landscape became an important subject for artists such as Axel Fridell (1894-1935), one of the most exciting and influential printmakers of the period whose work is represented in this show by a special selection of black and white prints from the renowned personal collection of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

This exhibition of late nineteenth and early twentieth century black and white prints from Sweden is the first of its kind to be shown in Ireland. It will include 63 prints mostly drawn from the collection of the Swedish Fine Print Society (FfGK).

Many of these images evoke a wide range of emotions; calm introspection, raw nervous energy, melancholia and surreal humour are all present. They give an insight into a distinctive way of seeing and recording life, perhaps inspired by the long Nordic nights and bleak, snowy landscapes of Sweden.

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