I’ve never bought a painting because of the name signed in the corner.

When I’m sourcing vintage art, I buy what I love — signed or unsigned, known artist or completely unknown. The painting always comes first.

But after almost five years of buying and sourcing vintage paintings, there are certain artists whose names I’ve come to recognise. When I see one of them at an auction, flea market, antiques shop or dealer, I’ll always stop and look.

It doesn’t mean I’ll buy the painting. The individual work still has to be right. But I know there’s a strong chance I’m going to like what I see.

This is my list of 20 Swedish artists I look out for when sourcing vintage Swedish paintings — artists whose work I’ve bought, sourced or come across over the years.

Buying Vintage Swedish Paintings

One of the things I particularly love about sourcing Swedish art is what you can discover when you turn a painting over.

Vintage Swedish paintings often come with traces of their history still attached to the reverse: exhibition labels, handwritten titles and notes, gallery labels and, quite often, old newspaper clippings about the artist. I’ve found paintings with articles carefully cut out and fixed to the back, leaving the next owner a starting point for discovering more about both the artist and the painting.

Those details are part of the pleasure of buying vintage art for me. They can help identify an artist, give clues about the history of a painting and occasionally lead to information I would never have found from the signature alone.

They’ve also helped me learn. After years of turning Swedish paintings over, deciphering signatures, reading labels and researching the painters whose work I bring home, certain names have become very familiar.

These are 20 Swedish artists I always stop and look at.

1. Edvin Ollers (1888–1959) — Swedish Artist, Painter and Designer

Edvin Ollers was a Swedish painter, designer and craftsman born in Norrtälje on 28 March 1888. He trained in Stockholm and Gothenburg and developed a career that crossed both fine and decorative art. Alongside painting, he became closely involved with Swedish glass and industrial design, including work with manufacturers such as Kosta and Reijmyre. 

As a painter, Ollers worked across landscapes, still lifes and views from Sweden and southern Europe. His compositions often rely on strong colour and simplified form, with the influence of modern European painting visible in his work. His paintings and designs are represented in Swedish collections.

I love his use of blue, and I can often spot an Ollers before seeing the signature up close. His landscapes are my favourite, although he also painted a strong range of still lifes and florals. Ollers travelled widely in Europe and North Africa, including France, Spain and Tunisia, and those journeys broadened the landscapes that appeared in his work.

2. Svän Grandin (1906-1982) Swedish Artist

Svan Grandin was a twentieth-century Swedish painter whose works continue to appear on the Scandinavian secondary art market. His paintings encompass both landscape and figurative subjects, and signed works by Grandin can be found among Swedish vintage paintings from the mid-twentieth century.

His figurative work is particularly distinctive, often reducing the human figure to simplified shapes and gestures rather than highly detailed portraiture. This gives many of his paintings a loose, modern quality that feels very different from more traditional academic Swedish painting.

I think his paintings of people are my favourite. They’re often everyday scenes — fishing, harvesting or working — and I love how simply he handles the figures, often with very little facial detail.

3. Rolf Ingvar Karlsson (born 1938) — Swedish Artist

Rolf Ingvar Karlsson is a Swedish painter whose work is closely associated with landscape. He grew up in Läckeby outside Kalmar and was influenced by the artists working in the area, including Sven Lage Persson, with whom Karlsson studied. 

Nature remained central to his work, with subjects inspired by Öland, the Swedish coast and Härjedalen as well as Provence in southern France. His paintings often move beyond straightforward representation, using colour, shape and broad areas of paint to interpret the landscape rather than simply record it.

4. Lars Norrman (1915–1979) — Swedish Artist and Painter

Lars Norrman was a Swedish painter and draughtsman born in Helsingborg in 1915. He studied with Otte Sköld in Stockholm before travelling to Paris, where he studied under Fernand Léger during the 1930s. Nationalmuseum describes Léger as a lasting influence on Norrman’s work. 

Norrman painted interiors, still lifes, figures and travel scenes. His work is characterised by simplified forms, clear areas of colour and strong composition. He was also an extensive traveller, visiting Greenland, North Africa, Brittany, Bulgaria and other destinations that subsequently appeared in his paintings, prints and books. His work is held in the collection of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. 

I love Norrman’s travel scenes. They’re colourful, often small-scale and frequently painted in gouache or watercolour — and despite how picky I am about anything that isn’t oil, these always get me. They almost always include people, which gives them such a strong sense of place and everyday life, and they immediately transport you somewhere else, whether that’s Paraguay, Morocco or further across Asia.

5. Helge Cardell (1902–1972) — Swedish Landscape Painter

Helge Oscar Cardell was a Swedish painter born and raised in Malmö in 1902. He began painting during the 1920s and studied at Skånska Målarskolan in Malmö before continuing his artistic education abroad.

Cardell became particularly associated with landscape painting. His subjects included the limestone quarries and open landscapes of Skåne, while travel elsewhere in Europe introduced further influences and scenery into his work. The landscapes of southern Sweden nevertheless remained an important thread throughout his career.

His work was exhibited in Sweden and is represented in Swedish collections. 

I’m drawn to the soft, dreamy quality of Cardell’s work. His country landscapes and harbour scenes are often colourful, but in a much more muted way — gentle, atmospheric and very easy to live with.

6. Nils-Folke Knafve (1905–1996) — Swedish Landscape Artist

Nils-Folke Knafve was a Swedish painter born in Brunnby, Skåne, in 1905. He studied at Skånska Målarskolan in Malmö and later at Valand in Gothenburg. 

Landscape formed an important part of Knafve’s work. He painted in oils as well as working with chalk, often using pronounced tonal and colour contrasts. Coastal views and landscapes occur frequently among his surviving paintings and in works appearing on the Swedish secondary art market. Knafve’s work is represented in Swedish museum collections. 

A recent find for me, and I’m obsessed. Knafve’s landscapes have incredibly loose brushwork and feel almost abstract — some are moodier, others much more vibrant, but they’re always full of colour and have a really fresh, expressive quality.

7. Carl Berndtsson (1902–1983) — Swedish Artist

Carl Albin Berndtsson was a Swedish painter born in Lyby, Skåne, in 1902. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and travelled widely, including to England, Belgium, France and South Africa. 

His paintings include landscapes, coastal scenes, village views, still lifes and flowers. Swedish artist records describe his landscapes as decoratively interpreted, and his paintings continue to appear regularly on the Scandinavian art market.

Similar to Ollers, I’m often drawn to Berndtsson’s use of blue. I particularly love his French village scenes — I’ve come across several of those, alongside quieter country landscapes, and they have a really distinctive charm.

8. Tadeusz Kamasa (1924–2003) — Polish-Swedish Artist

Tadeusz Kamasa was a Polish-Swedish painter born in Poznań in 1924. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków before moving to Sweden in 1944, where he continued his artistic career and education. 

Kamasa worked across portraits, figures, still lifes and landscapes. He became established within Swedish artistic life, while retaining the broader European influences of his early training. His signed paintings continue to appear at Swedish auction, particularly landscapes and figurative oils.

Now this man loved colour. I’ve sold quite a few Kamasa paintings over the years, and they’re often really punchy — sometimes dominated by a single colour like green, red or blue. His Mediterranean landscapes can be especially vibrant, with beaches, sea and mountains, but I’m just as drawn to his still lifes, particularly the bowls of fruit.

9. Bengt Crantz (1916–2000) — Swedish Artist

Bengt Ivar Crantz was a Swedish painter born in Toarp, Västergötland, in 1916. He was largely self-taught and worked primarily in oils.

His subjects included figure studies and Swedish landscapes, particularly views from Tjörn on the west coast. His paintings show the broad range typical of many twentieth-century Swedish artists working between traditional landscape painting and more expressive approaches to colour and form.

Always a favourite — I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Crantz I didn’t like. His paintings are often very textured, with thick impasto and a loose, almost abstract quality. Some are dark and moody, others much more vibrant, often with lots of blues and greens. I’ve sold figurative works by him too, but the abstract landscape seems to have been his real sweet spot — in everything from tiny paintings to much larger canvases.

10. Gustav-Adolf Johansson (1912–2011) — Swedish Artist and Printmaker

Gustav-Adolf Johansson was a Swedish painter, draughtsman and graphic artist born in Askersund on 6 November 1912. He settled in Borås in 1937 and became closely associated with the artistic life of western Sweden. 

Johansson worked across painting, drawing and printmaking, including lithography and drypoint. His work ranges from figurative subjects and still lifes to landscapes, with his style developing towards increasingly simplified forms over the course of his long career.

You can really see Johansson’s graphic-design background in his work — there’s often something quite blocky and structured about the way he builds a painting. He painted a mix of still lifes and landscapes, and I particularly like his colour palettes: often slightly muddy and earthy, but in a really good way.

11. Lars Bertle (born 1925) — Swedish Artist

Lars Bertil Bertle was born in Helsingborg in 1925. A self-taught Swedish painter, he initially pursued another professional career and did not devote himself fully to art until 1968. 

Landscape became a recurring subject in his paintings. Works appearing on the Scandinavian market include Swedish landscapes and mountain scenes, often painted with a direct, atmospheric approach to colour and scenery.

Bertle clearly loved a miniature. His paintings are often small, abstract and full of bright, vibrant colour. I’ve had so many of his pieces over the years, and I love that they often feel like little studies — nothing too serious, just an artist having fun with colour and trying out different palettes.

12. Eric Cederberg (1897–1984) — Swedish Artist and Illustrator

Eric Cederberg was a Swedish artist, illustrator and decorator born in Välluv in 1897. He spent much of his career in and around Helsingborg, initially working as a commercial decorator and illustrator while developing his painting alongside it. He exhibited for the first time in Helsingborg in 1922 and eventually left commercial work to concentrate fully on art. 

Cederberg painted landscapes and still lifes and was particularly fond of small still-life compositions inspired by Georges Braque. He spent many summers in Arild, which also provided subjects for his paintings. Later in his career his work became bolder and more colourful. He is represented in several Swedish museum and municipal collections. 

Cederberg is probably one of the most recognisable names on this list, and I come across his work a lot. That can actually make him harder for me to buy with resale in mind — as you know, I still won’t buy unless I genuinely love the painting — but over the years there have been plenty of pieces that have really spoken to me. I recently found a beautiful pair of pears. His still lifes are probably what I associate with him most, along with those slightly surreal beach and shell scenes, and he certainly feels like one of the more widely collected artists here.

13. Brita Nordencreutz (1899–1982) — Swedish Artist

Brita Elisabet Catarina Nordencreutz was a Swedish painter born in Västerås in 1899. She studied at Carl Wilhelmson’s painting school in Stockholm between 1918 and 1920 and later continued her artistic education abroad. 

Her paintings encompass landscapes, still lifes and figurative subjects. Like many Swedish artists of her generation, her development was shaped by both Scandinavian art education and contact with continental European modernism.

Her work continues to appear on the Swedish art market today. I really like Nordencreutz’s slightly naïve style. Her landscapes can have an almost Ibiza feel to me — palms, people, donkeys and whitewashed cottages, often in soft, pastel-earthy colours. I’m especially drawn to those landscapes, and I also love having a female artist on the list; there really aren’t that many women among the names I keep coming across.

14. Gerhard Wihlborg (1897–1982) — Swedish Artist

Gerhard Wihlborg was a Swedish painter born in Löderup, Skåne, in 1897. His training included study at the painting schools of Filip Månsson and Caleb Althin, followed by further artistic education and travel. 

Wihlborg painted landscapes, still lifes and portraits and is strongly associated with southern Sweden. The landscape and light of Skåne appear repeatedly through his work, although his travels also broadened his choice of subject.

His paintings are represented in Swedish collections and continue to appear on the Scandinavian secondary art market.

Wihlborg’s work is really recognisable — often large, vibrant country scenes with brilliant blue skies and almost rainbow-like palettes. There’s a confidence to his colour that makes the paintings feel instantly cheerful and very easy to spot.

15. Frithiof Berglund (1905–1973) — Swedish Artist

Frithiof Berglund was a Swedish painter born in Gothenburg in 1905. He studied at Valand in Gothenburg and became known primarily for landscape and still-life painting. 

Flowers feature repeatedly in his work, alongside landscapes and other still-life subjects. His floral paintings range from carefully arranged compositions to looser interpretations of wildflowers and plants.

Berglund’s florals — especially the orchids — really stand out and have such a recognisable signature style. His palette can be very dark and moody while still being full of colour, and his landscapes can be just as distinctive. Once you’ve seen enough of his work, you can often guess it’s a Berglund before you even spot the signature.

16. Knut Norman (1896–1977) — Swedish Artist

Knut Bernhard Norman was a Swedish painter born in Eskilstuna on 13 January 1896. He studied art in Stockholm and Paris before developing a career centred primarily on painting. 

Landscape and water recur frequently in Norman’s work. Fishing villages, sailing boats, coastal scenes and views of Venice all appear among his paintings, giving much of his work a strong relationship with the sea and waterside life.

I don’t think you can write about mid-century Swedish artists without mentioning Knut Norman. He was incredibly prolific, and you see the same visual language again and again — Venice, ruins, holiday scenes, gabled roofs, fishing huts, even icebergs. I like that about him: he knew exactly what worked for him and kept returning to it. His paintings have a real sense of destination; they immediately take you somewhere.

17. Wilhelm Henning (1899–1955) — Swedish Painter and Sculptor

Edvin Wilhelm Henning was a Swedish painter and sculptor born in Stockholm on 23 May 1899. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and also travelled and studied abroad, including in Paris and in North and South America. 

Henning painted landscapes and city subjects, with Swedish urban and harbour scenes appearing frequently among works on the secondary art market. His paintings of Gothenburg in particular connect him closely with the visual culture of the city during the first half of the twentieth century.

Henning’s work is very distinctive — often tiny, colourful city scenes filled with boats, trams and street life. The colours can be really bold, almost primary, and there’s something very graphic and cool about them. They feel small but full of energy.

18. Ragnar Falk (1903–1977) — Swedish Artist and Graphic Artist

Ragnar Emanuel Falk was a Swedish painter and graphic artist born in Gothenburg in 1903. He studied at Slöjdföreningens skola in Gothenburg. 

His work includes landscapes, portraits and figurative subjects and is often described as expressionist in character. Rather than concentrating on precise realism, his paintings frequently use colour and simplified form to create atmosphere and movement.

Falk’s work is represented in Swedish collections and continues to appear at auction. 

Falk’s work has a really whimsical quality — soft, lightly applied paint, simple compositions and a very recognisable style. I tend to see more still lifes than landscapes, and they’re always very easy on the eye: understated, gentle and full of charm.

19. Harry Thomander (1916–1998) — Swedish Artist

Harry Oscar Clarence Thomander was a Swedish painter born in Stockholm on 9 June 1916. He began his formal artistic education during the 1930s and later studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. 

His paintings include city scenes, landscapes and still lifes, with Swedish urban subjects recurring throughout his work. Paintings by Thomander remain relatively easy to encounter on the Swedish secondary art market, where signed oils continue to circulate. He died in Örebro in 1998. 

Thomander painted both landscapes and florals, but it’s the florals I appreciate most. I really like how specific his choice of subject can be — apple blossom, lily of the valley and other more delicate flowers rather than the usual roses or chrysanthemums. They feel much more individual because of that.

20. William Fleetwood (1915–1993) — Swedish Artist and Portrait Painter

William Herbert Fleetwood was a Swedish artist born in Stockholm in 1915. He became particularly known as a portrait painter, although landscape also formed part of his work. 

Fleetwood painted a number of significant Swedish figures, and Nationalmuseum holds numerous works by him. His portraits combine recognisable likeness with clean composition and often restrained backgrounds, placing the emphasis firmly on the sitter.

Fleetwood is a newer discovery for me and probably one of the lesser-known names on this list. I could have included plenty of more established Swedish artists, but his work is one I’m going to be watching for closely. I really like the earthy palettes and modernist feel — exactly the kind of painting I’m always tempted to keep rather than sell.

Collecting Swedish Art and Vintage Swedish Paintings

Knowing the artist can add another layer to a painting, but for me it never replaces the painting itself.

Some of the best Swedish paintings I’ve sourced have been signed by artists I already knew. Others have sent me down a rabbit hole researching a name for the first time. And some of my absolute favourites have had no identifiable signature at all. That is part of what I love about vintage art.

I’m not looking for a particular signature so I can tick a name off a list. I’m looking for paintings with good bones: colour, composition, brushwork, subject and that slightly harder-to-define quality that makes me want to keep looking.

These 20 Swedish artists have simply become names I recognise after years of sourcing.

If I see one, I stop. Then I look at the painting, because the painting still has to be good. That is more important to me, than the artist name.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Swedish Paintings

Where can I buy vintage Swedish paintings?

I source original vintage oil paintings from Sweden and across Europe for Hue, with new paintings added to the collection regularly. You can browse my collections online here.

How do I identify a Swedish painting?

Start with the signature, but always look at the reverse too. Old Swedish paintings can carry handwritten titles, dates, gallery labels, exhibition information and newspaper clippings that provide useful clues about the artist and the history of the work.

Try searching different interpretations of a difficult-to-read signature alongside terms such as “Swedish artist”, “Swedish painter” or the Swedish word “konstnär”.

With vintage Swedish art, even a small piece of information on the reverse can sometimes unlock the story.

Are all vintage Swedish paintings signed?

No. An unsigned painting isn't necessarily any less interesting.

I regularly buy unsigned vintage paintings when I love the work. A signature can help with research and attribution, but I would never buy a painting purely because of the artist’s name.

What should I look for when buying a vintage Swedish oil painting?

I look at the painting before the signature: the composition, colour, brushwork, subject and condition all matter more to me than whether I recognise the artist.

After that, I turn it over. The back of a vintage painting can sometimes tell you almost as much as the front.

For me, the best vintage painting is ultimately the one you want to live with.

Looking for vintage Swedish paintings? Explore our current collection of original vintage oil paintings, sourced across Sweden and Europe. You can find our latest arrivals here.