"Non-Violence"
Signed Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd and numbered 53/99 on the plaque. Patinated bronze mounted on a granite base, length 23 cm, base length 26.5 cm, height including base 18 cm.
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Non-Violence must be considered the artwork that more than any other has come to represent Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd's art; it can also be regarded as the most internationally recognised Swedish artwork in the world. A hallmark of genius is often the ability to combine two things that no one has thought to unite before. Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd succeeded in creating an incredibly powerful symbol when he combined the revolver and the knot in his work Non-Violence. The sculpture is far more than an intriguing artwork; the knotted revolver has become an internationally obvious symbol for peace that seems to appeal to humanity that the abhorrent violence in the world must be stopped. Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd describes his thought behind the work with these words: "Humour is the best tool we have to bring people together. When I made my peace symbol, I thought about how important it was to include a bit of humour, just so that my 'weapon' would become symbolically ridiculous and completely useless."
As early as the 1960s, Reuterswärd developed the theme of The Memory of the Medium, where he tied knots in various objects, including pens. The Non-Violence sculpture was created as a reaction to the murder of his friend John Lennon in 1980, and since then, the sculpture has been varied in numerous sculptural models and drawings. One of the first three versions of the sculpture was purchased by the government of Luxembourg and donated in 1988 to the UN, where it has since held its rightful place in front of the UN building in New York. Non-Violence is represented in museums around the world, written about by many, and has earned its rightful place in art history.
More about Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd
Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd (1934-2016), is a Swedish painter and sculptor who lives in Switzerland. He studied with Fernand Léger in Paris 1951-1952 and was a professor of painting at The Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm 1965-1969. He lived in Bussigny/Laussane and Paris. In 1974 he was a guest professor at Minneapolis School of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Reuterswärd is known for his sculpture showing a revolver tied in a knot, called Non Violence, on display outside United Nations headquarters in New York.
One of the first established artists to use the hologram technique was Bruce Nauman who recorded a well-known series of pulsed-laser transmission holograms entitled Making Faces in 1968. His holograms were exhibited at the Castelli Gallery in New York. Another famous artist was Salvador Dalí who made holograms at McDonnell Douglas holographic labs in the USA and exhibited in New York at the Knoedler Gallery. Harriet Casdin-Silver in the USA and Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd in Sweden are two other established artists who were attracted to lasers and holography and created early holographic art pieces in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Reuterswärd’s early work, including laser and holography art pieces, is described in the book:
25 YEARS IN THE BRANCH, Benteli Verlag Berne, Switzerland, 1977. ISBN 91-7100-125-5.
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