KunstenaarSwedish
Stig Borglind
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Stig Henrik Borglind was born in 1892 in Piteå in northern Sweden and spent much of his adult life in Dalarna, dying in Svärdsjö in 1965. He is considered the oldest of the so-called Falun printmakers, a loose grouping of graphic artists working in and around Dalarna during the early and mid twentieth century. Despite his early start drawing, he did not enroll at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm until 1918-19, an unusually late formal debut that speaks to his largely self-directed artistic development.
Borglind's technical education drew heavily on the Old Masters, particularly the Dutch printmakers of the seventeenth century. He studied the collection at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm with particular attention to Jan van de Velde and his contemporaries, as well as the technical illustrations published in the British journal The Studio. He made his first drypoint in 1918, and quickly developed a working method in which he began with contour lines and gradually built up tone and texture through combined techniques - etching, drypoint, and chalcography - applied in careful sequence to the copper plate.
His subjects were drawn from the natural world: summer landscapes, nocturnal scenes, wading birds, dead birds arranged as still lifes, and the flora of Sweden. Two series stand out among his graphic output: "Flora Suecica" (1938), a sequence of botanical drypoints, and "Pomona Suecica", devoted to Swedish fruit. Both demonstrate his ability to render organic form with precision without sacrificing the warm, silvery tonal atmosphere that became his hallmark. Works from his Svärdsjö parish etchings document the traditional farm buildings and woodlands of Dalarna with the same quiet attention.
Borglind achieved considerable international recognition during his lifetime. In 1942 he won the prize for best foreign printmaker at the Venice Biennale, a significant distinction at one of Europe's principal international exhibitions. He participated in almost every major print exhibition held between 1942 and 1965, building a consistent presence across Scandinavian and European venues. His work entered the collection of the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, and after his death a memorial exhibition at Dalarnas Museum in Falun transferred to the Nationalmuseum in 1966. A display case containing materials from his studio is preserved at Dalarnas Museum.
On the auction market, Borglind's prints circulate primarily through Swedish regional houses. Crafoord Auktioner in Stockholm and Lund together account for the largest share of his appearances, with further lots appearing at Karlstad Hammarö Auktionsverk and Auktionskammaren Sydost in Kalmar. Recorded top prices in the Auctionist database include 2,360 SEK for "Årstabron", 1,900 SEK for "Sidensvansar", and 1,700 SEK for "Månuppgång", reflecting a stable collector base for his prints at accessible price points.