Laris Strunke (1931-2022) was one of the most distinctive voices of Swedish modernism - an artist who, with powerful colour compositions and dynamic forms, created a painting that speaks directly to the viewer. ‘I paint until I arrive at something. Then I can question it.’ With these words he described his intuitive and uncompromising process, where each work is an exploration of light, space and movement.
Born in Riga, Latvia, Strunke was forced to flee to Sweden as a teenager during the Second World War. His artistic career began in his father's studio, but it was at the Académie Libre and the Royal Institute of Art, under the influence of the Ragnar Sandberg, that he developed his characteristic style. Here he combined abstraction with a deep sense of spatiality and the emotional power of colour.
Since his debut at Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet in 1959, he quickly established himself as a central figure in Swedish painting. His large-scale, immersive works were regularly exhibited at prestigious galleries such as Galerie Blanche and in major institutions both in Sweden and Latvia. Nature was a constant source of inspiration, but he never depicted it - instead he created an interior landscape depiction where the energy of colour and the rhythm of composition conveyed the memory of light and movement.
His artistic achievements have been recognised internationally and he has received several prestigious awards, including the Prince Eugene Medal and the Latvian Order of Three Stars.
As a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, he has left a lasting impression on the Swedish art scene, and his works are represented in major collections such as Moderna Museet, the Gothenburg Museum of Art and the National Art Museum of Latvia.
Laris Strunke was a visionary artist, constantly in motion, constantly searching. His paintings continue to fascinate, inspire and challenge - timeless works that invite the viewer to enter a world where colour and form vibrate with life.