RICHARD BJÖRKLUND, Swedish 1897-1974

RICHARD BJÖRKLUND, Swedish 1897-1974, oil on canvas, signed and dated 1943, titled "Tullkammaren i gråväder" view of Malmö Toll House in grey weather.

Karl Richard Björklund, born 01.08.1897 in Hyllie Parish, died 19.06.1974 in Sankt Petri Parish, Malmö. He first trained as a decorator.

1919-1920 study at Campbell's painting school in Lund

1921 - studying at Académie de la Grande Chaumière and at Académie Montparnasse, Paris, France. 

1923 - visited Berlin

1924 - Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris.

1926 - study trip to Italy

1928 - study trip to France

1934-1935 – study trip to Dalmatia and Italy again in 1947.

His early studies and visits to the museums and art galleries of Europe left a strong imprint of Impressionism.  In his smaller works of the Skåne plains he tried to crop his views and capture the atmosphere of the Parisian style.  He also took great care in making his nudes as realistic as possible.  After this intimate realistic period, his works gain greater scale and richer colouring, even if some of the French silver-grey tones remain.  Björklund also painted portraits and in the 1940's he spent time around the Malmö harbour painting in a more expressionistic style.

Represented:

National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

Modern Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

Prince Eugen's Waldermarsudde, Art Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

Gripsholm Slott, Mariefred - the national portrait collection of Sweden

Malmö Museum, Sweden

the Regional Museum in Kristianstad, Sweden

Ystads Art Museum, Sweden

Lund University Art Museum, Sweden

He left a large fortune most of which went to the Aase and Richard Björklund Foundation to fund scholarships for young art students.