artist: Gunnar Jonn (Swedish 1904-1963)
medium: oil on canvas
dimensions: 42 x 51 cm canvas size / 47 x 56 cm frame size (approx)
signed and dated 61
presented in its original liner frame with new hand finished outer timber frame
AU $1795 (approx US $1080 / 1090 EUROS / 179,500 yen / 935 GBP - for exact current conversion visit xe.com)
artist biography
Gunnar Jonn was born 19 February, 1904 in Malmö. He was a Swedish artist best known for his paintings in oil and tempera with subjects including still lifes, figure compositions, self-portraits and landscapes with from Norway, Ven or other Swedish locales.
Jonn studied at the Skånska målarskolan (Painting School) in Malmö from 1926 to 1928 and under Danish artist Aksel Jørgensen (1883-1957) at the Danska Konstakademien (Danish Academy of Fine Arts) in Copenhagen between 1933 and 1936. Jonn took study trips to Germany, Norway, Yugoslavia and Spain.
He debuted as an artist in 1929, in a group exhibition. His first solo show was in 1933 at Malmö City Hall. This was first of numerous exhibitions in his home town including shows at the Malmö Museum and the SDS-hallen. Jonn participated in group exhibitions with Skånes konstförening (Art Association) and the artist group Aura. In the late 1930s, he experimented in his work with various materials including sand and chromoplastic mass that gave a distinct relief effect. Between 1941 and 1947 he lived on Ven, the small Swedish island in the Øresund strait, between Scania and Zealand. He produced a number of paintings of the area from the time living on the island. He created public works in the form of murals in al secco in the stairwell at the Solidars Kontorshus office building, the ABF huset in Malmö, Trelleborg's Harbour office and Malmö rowing club.
Jonn is represented in public collections including the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Helsingborgs Museum, Ystad Art Museum, Malmö Museum and at the Arkivet in Lund.
He passed away in 1963 in his hometown of Malmö.