Bukowskis Presents "Cirkus" by Isaac Grünewald at Modern Art & Design

Rolf Hanson belongs to the generation of Swedish artists, born in the early 1950s, who entered art schools during the 1970s. They became part of a counter-movement, in a very politicized decade where art was judged by its moral content. Their bold and individualistic style of painting permeated the 1980s, which also saw the emergence of a new interest in art collecting driven by the financial markets.

Hanson's artistry has its roots in the national romantic landscape tradition, late romanticism, and symbolism, while his technique and expression are strongly influenced by the groundbreaking powerful painting of the 1950s and 1960s. The spotlight in the art world had shifted from Paris to the US and American action painting influenced a new generation of artists. Hanson's work is characterized by a glowing abstract expressionism that, combined with the large format of the paintings, almost overwhelms the viewer.

Ever since his first major solo exhibition at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1985, Hanson's painting has generated interest. In 1988, he was selected to represent Sweden at the Venice Biennale, and in 1995, his next museum exhibition took place at Rooseum in Malmö, where Lars Nittve was the director and curator. This was followed in 1998 by an exhibition at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf. In 2006, yet another museum exhibition followed, this time at Dunkers Kulturhus in Helsingborg. Today, Rolf Hanson is one of the most significant artists in the Swedish art scene of his generation, and in 2021, Rolf Hanson Retroactive opened at Artipelag outside Stockholm. The current painting, Runtom trappa XII, has been exhibited both at Dunkers Kulturhus and at the major exhibition at Artipelag.

Read more about the work

To the catalogue – Contemporary Art & Design