ArtistSwedish
Olle Hjortzberg
3 active items
Gustaf Olof (Olle) Hjortzberg was born on 14 November 1872 in Stockholm and grew up in Linköping, where his father, a skilled watercolorist, gave him his first training in paint. From 1892 he studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, eventually becoming one of the institution's most distinguished alumni and later one of its senior figures.
After marrying in 1898, Hjortzberg traveled extensively through France and Italy, spending extended periods in Florence, Perugia, and London. His study of Byzantine mosaics, early Italian fresco painting, and Assyrian relief work shaped a monumental decorative language that he brought back to Sweden and applied above all to sacred architecture. From 1905 onward he devoted the largest part of his energy to Christian art, beginning with stained glass for Stockholm's Katarina Church and ceiling paintings for Klara Church. In 1913 he completed the decoration of Uppenbarelsekyrkan in Saltsjöbaden with richly colored figurative scenes, and around the same time began his celebrated cycle in Engelbrektskyrkan, Stockholm. Over the following decades he added murals to Matteus Church (1946), Alby kyrka in Ångermanland, a triptych for Flower Forest Church in Värmland, and stained glass for Sundbyberg and Sofia churches, among others.
Alongside sacred commissions, Hjortzberg was a prolific illustrator and graphic designer. He contributed illustrations to the Gustav V Bible (published 1925), a project that occupied him across many years, and designed postage stamps bearing the portrait of King Gustaf V. His most internationally recognized graphic work is the official poster for the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games, depicting a procession of flag-bearing athletes inspired by classical antiquity. The image caused controversy in several countries because of its nude figures, yet it became one of the most reproduced Olympic posters in history.
Hjortzberg taught at the Royal Academy from 1911 to 1937 and served as its director until 1941, shaping generations of Swedish painters. In his studio practice he also produced a substantial body of oil and watercolor still lifes, particularly roses and mixed garden flowers, which have remained popular with collectors.
At auction, Hjortzberg's work covers a wide price range. Church-related works and large figurative compositions appear rarely and can reach significant sums, while his flower still lifes trade regularly at Swedish houses, with top results exceeding 140,000 SEK. The 1912 Olympic poster commands a strong collector premium in both art and sports memorabilia markets.