Elli Hemberg

Elin Elisabeth "Elli" Hemberg (13 November 1896 - 23 May 1994), was a Swedish abstract painter and sculptor. She is most famous for her architectural sculptures, which often feature three-dimensional visuals and elements of dynamic symmetry. Her work is featured in the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm, as well as the Museum of Art in Kalmar, among other places.

Biography Elli Hemberg was the daughter of the provost Johan Hemberg and his wife Signe Hedenius, an artist whose father was the notable Swedish Professor of medicine Per Hedenius. She grew up in the Swedish town of Skövde, and later attended Wilhelmsons School of Art (1918-1922), run by the painter Carl Wilhelmson.

In September 1923, Hemberg married the Swedish physician Sven Erlandsson in Våmbs Church, outside Skövde. Over the following years, she undertook several study trips around Europe: Italy and Paris (1923), Vienna and Italy (1925), Paris (1929), Norway (1937), and Holland (1938).

Career

Early Paintings Hemberg's early work consisted primarily of portraits and landscapes. Her first major exhibition was as part of the 'November Exhibition' in 1922 at Liljevalch's Art Gallery in Stockholm. who experimented with cubism, purism, and neoplasticism. The two displayed their work in 1947 at Konstnärshuset in Stockholm. During this period, Hemberg began transitioning towards a more abstract style, focusing on form and rhythm, which eventually led her to transition from painting to sculpture.

Sculpture

In the mid 1960s, Hemberg, together with Olle Bærtling and Karl Göte Bejemark, among others, were part of the art salon 'Samlaren', and considered at the forefront of Swedish sculptors. 'Badande' (1978), displayed at the Museum of Sketches for Public Art in Lund, 'The Butterfly' (1980), Egon Möller-Nielsen's ' Djurriksdag' in the foreground and Elli Hemberg's 'The Butterfly' in the background. Today, many of her works are on display in the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm, among other galleries, museums, and permanent public displays.