artist: Britta Emanuelson (Swedish 1918-2008)
dimensions: 48 x 30 cm art size
medium: gouache / collage on paper
signed and dated 65
originally exhibited at the artist's 1966 solo show at Galerie Aesthetica in Stockholm
presented in its original frame with new non-reflective UV museum glass - photos to follow
AU $880 (approx US $585 / 550 EUROS / 93,000 yen / 465 GBP - for exact current conversion visit xe.com)
artist biography
Britta Kristina Emanuelson was born on 15 September 1918 in Borås. She was the daughter of master painter John Eriksson and Ada. In 1938 she married Manfred Emanuelson. They had four children: Ulf, born in 1940; Kristina, born in 1944; Bengt, born in 1948; and Gunilla, born in 1950.
She began her artistic studies at the Konstgalleriets Painting School in Borås in 1954, under the direction of Ragnvald Magnusson. She continued her education in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière from 1958 to 1959, where she studied under Henri Goetz, and later at Académie Raspail in Paris from 1960 to 1961, again under Goetz.
Emanuelson travelled regularly and spent periods in France from 1955 onwards. In September and October of 1963, she stayed in San Michele on Capri.
Her first solo exhibition took place at Maison van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, in 1962. This was followed by a solo show at ABF’s Study Centre in Vänersborg in 1963, Galerie de Beaune in Paris in 1964, and Galerie Aesthetica in Stockholm in March 1966.
She participated in numerous group exhibitions throughout her career, including the Autumn Salon in Borås in 1956, 1958, 1962 and 1964, and at Vänersborg Museum in 1957. In 1958 she showed at Tornbergs in Vänersborg, at Cannes in France, and at ABF’s Study Centre in Vänersborg again in 1959 and 1961. She exhibited at Galerie St. Germain des Prés in Paris in 1962, at Cercle Suédois for the Spring Salon in Paris in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966, at the Salon des Surindépendants at Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris in 1962 and 1963, and at Göta Älvdals Art Association’s Autumn Salon in 1963 and 1964. She also exhibited with Västgötakonst in a travelling exhibition in 1964, and in 1965 at Elfborgssalongerna in Alingsås. The same year, she took part in Göta Älvdals Art Association’s exhibition in Trollhättan, and at Galerie de la Port Sud in St. Paul de Vence in 1964.
Her work became represented in a wide range of collections, including Vänersborg Museum; Sveriges Radio’s studios in Vänersborg; Älvsborg County Council; ABF’s Study Centre in Vänersborg; Restad Hospital; Källshagens Hospital; Sparbanken in Vänersborg; and St. Gertrud’s Hospital in Västervik. She was also represented at Alingsås Cultural Board, Sparbanken in Borås, the Royal Building Administration in Stockholm, and Hotel Stockholm in Paris. In the United States, her works entered the Silverman Collection in Philadelphia; University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee; Mississippi College in Clinton; and the Tougaloo Southern Christian College in Tougaloo, Mississippi. Her work also became part of the Collection Roger Tagliana in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
Reflecting on her artistic process, she described painting as a constant journey of discovery in the world of form and colour—a struggle with resistant material, where success and failure accompany each step. She believed that inspiration could not be fully explained, and often the creation of an artwork concluded without knowing exactly how it came into being, which for her was a kind of joy. While art begins as a personal expression, she believed that the true aim was to communicate one’s experience to the outside world.
Critics observed that her paintings seemed to transmit an inner light that shaped forms and built a world of their own, where everything held together harmoniously. Her prints contained poetry, sometimes enigmatic, sometimes powerful and direct. They were often lifelike, yet also guarded their mystery. Her intention was never to rely on striking techniques, showy effects, or random splashes of colour, but to achieve clarity and cohesion by carefully reducing and refining her means of expression. She transposed motifs from nature, developing them through interpretation and transformation, and as she gradually mastered her tools, she devoted herself to creating a plastic world aligned with her inner experiences—one that was palpable in its form.
As noted in the catalogue for Galerie de Beaune in Paris in 1964, compiled by Henri Goetz, this demanding act of conveying a vision would remain a hallmark of true artistry.
She passed away in 2008.