artist: Gerry Eckhardt (Swedish 1902-1984)
medium: woodcut
dimensions: 53 1/2 x 65 1/2 cm
signed and dated 50
presented in its original frame
AU $520 (approx US$355 / 320 EUROS / 38,500 yen / 275 GBP - for exact current conversion visit xe.com)
artist bio
Gerhard (Gerry) Henrik Fredrik Eckhardt, born August 24, 1902 in Riga, Latvia was a Swedish painter and print maker.
Eckhardt studied under Edward Berggre at Gottfried Larsson's painting school in Stockholm from 1931-1932, and subsequently under Hans Cornelius and Akke Kumlien. He also undertook study trips to Germany, Italy, France, and the Balkans. Subject matter in his work included portraits and landscapes often from Estonia - his work was expressionistic, later increasingly with abstract landscapes and figures.
Select exhibitions included solo exhibitions at Fahlkrantz and Galerie Modern in Stockholm, and numerous group exhibitions with the Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening (Swedish Public Art Association). Eckhardt spent some time in the art group Grödingegruppen, which was formed in 1958 together with fellow artists Vide Jansson, Rune Pettersson, Nalle Werner and Sixten Haage.
Examples of Eckhardt’s work are held in the collections of the National Museum in Stockholm, Post Museum in Stockholm, The Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Östersund Museum, Kalmar County Museum, Gothenburg Art Museum, Eskilstuna Art Museum, Västerås Art Museum, Gustav VI Adolf's collection, Turku Art Museum, and the Pinakoteket in Munich. He painted a number of public art pieces during his career including one at Livre d´Art in Brussels. Other large scale public work included a series of enamel paintings at Konst på Östbergahöjden between 1967 and 1969. Östbergahöjden is a development of 49 four-storey residential buildings with attic ceilings on Östbergahöjden and Östbergabackarna in southwest Stockholm with 1,200 apartments. Artists were iengaged to decorate the entrances of the houses with enamel paintings, which were set up at all 49 entrances. Other contributing artists were Pär Andersson, Curt Asker, Johan G Berg, Birgitta Charlez, Stig Ghylfe, Felix Hatz, Erik Jensen, Kerstin Johnsson, Åke Pallarp, Stig Pettersson, Ivan Rodell, Lars Stenstad, Laris Strunke, Kurt Sundén, Bo Svensson, John Thorgren, Johan Waldenström and Gösta Wallmark.
Eckhardt passed away in 1984.