Less known than his peers, Bruno Liljefors was nevertheless an important figure on the Scandinavian arts scene in the late-nineteenth century. By showing his work for the first time to the French public, the Petit Palais seeks to highlight his pictorial skill and Liljefors’ original contribution to the construction of the imaginative repertoire of Swedish nature.
This unique exhibition features an ensemble of some one hundred pieces, including paintings, drawings, and photographs from the collections of Swedish museums like the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm—partner of the exhibition—the Thiel Gallery, and Gothenburg Museum, as well as numerous private collections.
An astute observer, Liljefors captured real families of foxes lurking in the woods or hares darting through the snow, as well as ospreys perched at the top of maritime pines, eiders flying across the chilly waters of the archipelago, and grouse performing their nuptial parade in the forests. He worked in and from nature, using his skills as an acrobat and gymnast to climb trees. Even if he denied it, his aesthetic research was heavily influenced by Japonisme and Far Eastern art. Liljefors liked to arrange some of his paintings within large golden frames, forming compositions inspired by the Japanese technique of harimaze, where prints present several images independent of each other.
His art must also be understood in the light of the Darwinian discoveries that permeated European culture in the nineteenth century. In Liljefors’ universe, animals, plants, insects, and birds were all part of a larger whole, each with a specific role to play. At a time when the preservation of biodiversity has become a major issue, Liljefors, beyond his role as champion of Swedish nature, invites viewers to better observe the entire living world of which we are a part.
General curators:
Annick Lemoine, Head Curator, Director of the Petit Palais.
In collaboration with Anne-Charlotte Cathelineau, chief curator at the Petit Palais.
Specialist curators:
Sandra Buratti-Hasan, Curator at the Musée des Beaux-arts de Bordeaux;
Carl-Johan Olsson, 19th-century Painting Curator at the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm.
