artist: Nils Söderberg ( Swedish 1903-1970)
medium: oil on panel
dimensions: 74 x 60 cm artwork size / 76 x 62 cm frame size
signed
circa 1960s
presented in a new hand finished timber frame
AU $1450 (approx US $985 / 885 EUROS / 138,000 yen / 765 GBP - for exact current conversion visit xe.com)
** Currently on show and for sale at Danish Red - 1214 High Street Armadale VIC
artist biography
Nils Alfred Söderberg was born August 26, 1903 in Gävle. He was a Swedish painter and print maker.
Söderberg’s interest in painting began at the age of 14 when he began his first oil paintings. In 1922 the young artist traveled to Vienna to study art under Professor Hermann Grom-Rottmayer. During this time he also took study trips in Germany and Austria. He studied in Vienna until 1925 when he returned to Sweden to marry. The family moved a few years later to the village of Valbo where they lived in an idyllic setting by a stream.
Söderberg had his debut exhibition in Gävle in 1926 and had his first Stockholm exhibition in 1937, but it was not until 1939 that his art was noticed by critics when a number of Gävleborg artists showed their work at the Konstakademien (Academy of Fine Arts) in Stockholm.
He got his definitive breakthrough after a solo exhibition at Du Ungas salong in Stockholm in 1941. The exhibition was followed up with solo exhibitions at Gummesons konsthall in 1943 and 1948 and at Konstnärshuset in 1960. He had solo exhibitions in Norrköping, Hudiksvall, Bollnäs, Gothenburg and about ten times in Gävle. He had two and three artist shows including ones with Carlotta Jönsson at Lorensberg's art salon in 1961, with Lars Boo and Thormod Larsen in 1963, and with his daughter Mona Söderberg and her husband Björn Forsman in Hofors. Over the years, he was represented in a long line of Gävleborg County Art Association's autumn exhibitions in Gävle and between 1941 and 1961 he exhibited in Gävleborgsgruppen's exhibitions in Gävle. He showed at an exhibition with Norrlandskonst at Liljevalchs konsthall in 1946 and some of Sveriges allmänna konstförenings (Sweden's general art association) salons in Stockholm as well as the International Colour Lithography Biennial in Cincinnati 1958 and Liljevalchs Stockholmssalonger.
Between 1925 and 1970, Söderberg was active as a central figure in the Gästrikland region - a province in southern Norrland in Central Sweden. He is described as a bridge between the younger and the older in the Gävleborgsgruppen in that he represented a new imagery. Söderberg was part of a small artist colony in Valbo made up of himself, Fritz Smedberg, Alf Sundström and Manne Östlund.
His art was initially naive with decorative forest and meadow bouquets. Towards nd of the 1950s he switched to a barren painting style with scenes of plains and rugged cliffs. He became known for paintings from the Valboslätten and the emerging detached houses in Valbo parish. He also painted figurative works and portraits. A portrait of member of Parliament Hemming Sten is considered his foremost portrait works. As a print maker, he produced inoleum cut and lithograph editions.
Among his public works are a wall decoration at the Socialvårdens sjukhem in Gävle and a mural at the Silvanum forest museum.
Söderberg is represented in numerous public collections including works held at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Prince Eugens Waldemarsudde, Gävle Museum, Örebro läns Museum, Västerås Konstmuseum, Gävle Kommun and Sandvikens Kommun. In 2003, an exhibition “Nils Söderberg in memory” was held at Länsmuseet Gävleborg (June 17 to September 7, 2003).
Söderberg passed away in 1970.