Anders Zorn: Sweden's Master Painter

About this book

The art of Anders Zorn (1860-1920) reaches into diverse worlds with lavish depictions of Belle Epoque salons and elegant sitters, swirling ballrooms and country dances, bathers in sun-dappled waters, and more. This richly illustrated catalogue explores the life and work of a masterful painter who was born in a small Swedish village and rose to international acclaim. As a young art student Zorn developed a virtuosic command of watercolor, later expanding his repertoire to include oil painting and etching as well. His subject matter ranged widely from fashionable portraits of high society to realistic depictions of modern urban life, aspects of Swedish folk culture, and scenes drawn from his many travels. During his lifetime Zorn became one of the world's preeminent painters, though his name is not as well known today. Accompanying the first major retrospective of Zorn's oeuvre held in the United States in over a century, this volume introduces readers to his bravura brushwork, sensual iconography, and vibrant artistic personality. Featuring more than ninety watercolors, oil paintings, etchings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures, Anders Zorn: Swedens Master Painter reveals the artist's diverse themes, meticulous techniques, and peripatetic career, with works set in such locales as Madrid, Algiers, Constantinople, London, Paris, Venice, New York, Chicago, and his hometown of Mora, Sweden. Four authors present detailed portraits of Zorn's life and work, his career in the United States, his oeuve in the context of Nordic art, and his printmaking activity. Also featuring a comprehensive chronology and historical photographs, this catalogue reveals a painter tradition yet modern; cosmopolitan yet indelibly connected to his Swedish homeland.