Ernst Billgren is a Swedish artist and author born in 1957 in Stockholm. His diversity is unique in the contemporary Swedish world of art, in which he pursues painting, graphic art, photography and sculpture, as well as writing, film-making and the performing arts. Billgren mainly works in mosaic, wood, bronze, concrete, tile and glass. Billgren studied at the Valand School of Fine Art from 1982 to 1987 and set the tone for his art while still a student when he questioned the difference between good and bad art. This question has subsequently followed his art over the years and has been expressed in his book “Vad är konst och 100 andra jätteviktiga frågor” (What is art and 100 other highly important questions). Billgren draws inspiration from nature and animals, which early on became a tool and hallmark of his art. Landscape paintings, national romanticism and mythology form the red thread that permeates his art. Depicting clashes between nature and culture, as in his paintings of clothed animals that frequent high society salons, is nothing unusual for Billgren.
Why is it that so many of Ikea’s pieces manage to fetch incredible sums at auction? Read more about the company and the works that have furnished the world.
