It is no exaggeration to say that Torsten Andersson (1926–2009) has a legendary reputation in the Swedish art scene. With his unique imagery, he redefined the possibilities of painting and explored whether painting can be seen as language. His artistic integrity and mythology, which surround his career and persona, are also widely reported. In 1966 he left his professorship at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm after a dramatic schism and moved to his childhood home in Benarp, Skåne, where he took a break from painting until 1972.

It was as if Torsten Andersson charged and increased his artistic energy during the break to let it explode with a unique, conceptual painting depicting “realistic portraits of abstract sculptures” in an unpolished minimalist style. The works invite you to play with thoughts, and the viewer can twist and turn. He then completes the works with further layers of references: landscape and rural painting, psychological self-image, and romantic longing. Torsten takes a stand against art history and his self-image in an unparalleled way. 

–John Peter Nilsson, chairperson