Modernists, naivists, and surrealists – a modern Swedish collection

Collection Håkan Larsson Tranemo

This extensive and art-historically significant collection of paintings will be auctioned in the autumn of 2025 at Bukowskis Live Auctions and in two themed online auctions. Presented here is the second themed auction, which is considerably larger, featuring 40 works of Swedish painting from the 1920s onward. Among the auction’s more notable works are a charming 1920s painting by Otte Sköld, Street in a Breton Village; Sven X:et Erixson’s fine Summer Day by the Sea from 1932; a still life by Arthur Percy painted in Cagnes in 1921; and a characteristic “imaginist” gouache by Max Walter Svanberg.

Håkan’s deep interest in art began in Motala in the late 1960s, when he took part in an art study group at Motala Verkstad in 1968–69. The course leader was Dennis Pullman, and the course literature was Svenskt måleri under 1900-talet (“Swedish Painting in the 20th Century”) by Gösta Lilja. This book became the guide Håkan used as the foundation for his collecting. The book’s selection is mirrored in Håkan’s collection, which focused on Swedish art from roughly the 1920s to the 1960s—what today might be called “Swedish modern classics.” Over time, Håkan’s collection grew to become very extensive, eventually comprising more than 100 paintings.

Håkan Larsson was a prominent figure in the municipality of Tranemo, active both in business and in the cultural sphere. As CEO and chairman of the board of the successful company Tranemo Textil, he was, of course, an important person both as an employer and as a business leader. He was also deeply involved in the local cultural scene, arranging, among other things, an exhibition venue for the Tranemo Artists’ Group.