artist: Maria Wingren-Samourkas (Swedish 1916-2001)
dimensions: 71 x 51 cm artwork size / 80 x 60 cm frame size
medium: oil on canvas
signed and dated 1959
presented in its original frame
artist biography
Maria (Maj) Gunnarsdotter Wingren-Samourkas was born 5 December, 1916 in Västerås. She was a Swedish painter.
She was the daughter of the field doctor Gunnar Wingren and Mary Eklund. In 1951 she married the director Costas Samourkas. She studied at Otte Sköld's School of Painting 1944 to 1946 and after a short break again in 1947 and 1948. During the autumn of 1946 she studied at the Free Painting School in Helsinki, and in 1948 for a short time in Paris. In 1949 she then continued her studies in painting at Signe Barth's painting school in Stockholm. She studied sculpture at Lena Börjeson's sculpture school 1949and 1950. She took self-study trips to Finland in 1946, France in1948), Denmark in 1947, the Netherlands in 1948, England in 1952, and Italy and Greece on several occasions. Wingren-Samourkas was artistically gifted - in addition to painting she studied violin for several years under Carl Garaguly. Wingren-Samourkas exhibited regularly included showing work in the Västerås artists' December exhibitions series. Her work featured a strong distinct stylised forms and bright colour palette. She painted primarily Swedish and foreign landscapes and city motifs. Wingren-Samourkas is represented at Fryxellska skolan and the Västmanlands flygflottilj in Västerås.
She passed away in Västerås at the age of 84 on died 10 February, 2001.