Classic Art Online

In this themed auction, we offer a selection of high-quality classical works, with Swedish landscape painting from the late 19th century onwards forming a dominant part. The final decades of the 19th century marked a time of radical development in European art. While history painting remained highly valued at the conservative art academies, young talents were seeking a freer approach to painting. Many travelled abroad, particularly to France, where a new form of outdoor painting had emerged, known as plein air. Thanks to new technology — oil paint in tubes — this new generation could gradually leave the studio behind to paint entire compositions outdoors. They set up their easels in forests, meadows, or along paths, creating their works with swift brushstrokes in small formats that captured the magic of the moment. French plein air painting spread across Europe and the United States in the following decades, fundamentally transforming Western art. The auction features, among others, works by Nils Kreuger, Carl Holsøe, Helmer Osslund, and August Hagborg.