Tre av auktionsårets mest prestigefulla försäljningar så här långt, Carl Larssons ”Titt-ut” från 1901(såldes för 5,6 miljoner), August Strindbergs "Inferno"(såldes för 18,6 miljoner) och Anders Zorns "Timret går"(såldes för 7,4 miljoner) såldes på Bukowskis i juni.
Inlämnare var Jacqui Eli Safra, som äger en av de mest omfattande samlingar av nordiska mästerverk från den nationalromantiska eran.
I höst möter ytterligare fem verk ur samlingen den svenska auktionspubliken.
Här berättar den schweiziske affärsmannen och filmproducenten, exklusivt för Barnebys, om starka barndomsminnen, mötet med den legendariska filmfotografen Sven Nyqvist, varför han en gång började samla skandinaviskt sekelskiftesmåleri och om varför han säljer delar av sin konstsamling.
Jag har medvetet inte översatt intervjun till svenska då jag inte skulle kunna göra J.E Safras välformulerade svar rättvisa. Hoppas ni har överseende.
How come you started to collect art from Scandinavian artists and do you remember what you bought first?
Much later, I was privileged to meet Sven Nyquist, Ingmar Bergman's celebrated cinematographer - a painter in film. Sven always wanted to film a story reflective of the place where he grew up - Smoland. The result was the heart-wrenching Oxen which told the story of a desperate man who steals an ox to feed his destitute family. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. We were informed - although the balloting is secret - that Oxen lost by a single vote. It was certainly a worthy contender, critically regarded and highly praised. It had an illustrious Swedish cast, many members of Bergman's close-knit company. The cast included Liv Ullmann, Max Von Sydow, Erland Josephson, and a young Stellan Skarsgard as the pitable father in an unprecedented performance.
I visited Sweden on several occasions. In 1988, I purchased my first Scandinavian paintings, both by Larson: Peek-a-Boo and Workshop.
Would you say there is a common theme in your collection? Especially when it comes to the Scandinavian part of it.
I cannot delineate a single recurring theme. My response is clearly subjective. All of the paintings reflect the country, a love of Nature, a gentle celebration of the human body, and a tacit acceptance of the joy and sometimes turbulence of life. The pastel colors, the purity of light speak to me. Larsson, Zorn, and especially Strindberg are so stylistically individual. They represent a spectrum of the human experience - sun-suffused often, but like Strindberg, dark and churning.
Is there anything in particular you think separates Scandinavian painting from others? Or is there anything you think characterizes Nordic painting?
Scandinavian art seems to be a mirror into the face of a people and its history - a highly developed expression of nature, women, children, and, as with Strindberg, the torments of the soul striving for understanding. The palettes are unique - often softer; the figures idyllic, sensual but gentle.
Why do you choose to sell these paintings 2017?
Those of us who can are merely guardians of great art. We possess them for a time - as diligent caretakers and admirers. And then they must be shared, granted to others to hold and savor - if only for a transitory time. Like children who must be released to a world beyond. Our love continues.
De fem verken som säljs på Bukowskis auktion Important Winter Sale den 5-6 december är Eugène Janssons oljemålning "Afton" från 1894 med ett utrop om 2 000 000 - 2 500 000 kronor, Anders Zorns oljemålning "Loppan" från 1918 med utrop 4 000 000 - 6 000 000 kronor, Bruno Liljefors "Steglitsor", en oljemålning på pannå från 1888 med ett utrop om 1 500 000 - 1 800 000 kronor, Carl Wilhelmsons oljemålning "Fiskarflicka" målad 1895 som ropas ut för 1 500 000 - 2 000 000 kronor, samt verket "Sträckande gäss, Nevlunghavn" målat av den norske konstnären Harald Sohlberg 1924. Målningen ropas ut för 1 000 000 - 1 500 000 kronor.
Visning äger rum 30 november – 4 december på Berzelii Park 1 i Stockholm. Samlingen kommer att inleda kvällsauktionen den 5 – 6 december på Arsenalsgatan 2 i Stockholm.
