During the late 19th century, fundamental changes took place in Western art. With the advent of plein air painting in France in the 1860s, Western art became less academic and more liberated. In several countries, art movements emerged that actively sought to reform and renew art. In Sweden, we had the so-called "opponents" who were driven by curiosity and the search for modern and free art. It was the search for the new by the artists of the late 19th century that would later pave the way for modernism. In this themed auction, we highlight these important artists and the luminosity and vitality expressed in their art.