Sven Lingardsz

At 23, Lingardsz set out across Europe, spending three years in Zürich and then eleven years in Bregenz, Austria. During that period he worked as an art conservator and restorer, an occupation that gave him an intimate understanding of historical painting techniques and materials. That experience directly shaped his practice: he paints with resin oil on wooden panels (usually oak board), a combination that art conservators associate with durability and colour stability over centuries. His breakthrough as an artist came in 1977, after which he devoted himself fully to his own work.

His output covers two main areas. The paintings, done in resin oil on panel, draw from a symbolist and surreal visual vocabulary. Imagery of interpersonal relationships, everyday objects placed in unexpected contexts, and allegories built from sayings or proverbs recur across canvases. He has described his central concern as investigating human relationships and the psychological space between people. His graphic work uses the original stone-print lithographic process, a technique more than 200 years old, and his colour lithographs are printed in limited numbered editions. Works like "Sagoslott" (Fairy-tale Castle), "Körsbärsfärgare" (Cherry Dyer), and "Livets trädgård" (Garden of Life) carry the same dreamlike quality found in the paintings.

Lingardsz has received several grants in recognition of his work, including the Ellen Trotzig grant (1980), the Åse and Rickard Björklund grant (1982), and the Ängelholm Artists' Fund grant (1999). He also took first prize at the Triennial for Figurative Art in Lyon, France, and received the gold medal of the Accademia Italia delle Arti e del Lavoro. A lithographic diptych titled "Balanserat möte" (Balanced Meeting) is held in the Swedish Parliament building (Riksdagshuset). His studio is located in Hov, near Båstad in northwest Skåne.

In the Nordic auction market, Lingardsz appears primarily through smaller regional houses. In our database, 29 items are recorded, with Helsingborgs Auktionskammare and Skånes Auktionsverk among the most active sellers of his work. His colour lithographs from the 1990s make up the bulk of auction appearances, with prices typically ranging between 300 and 700 EUR. A signed oil painting on panel, "Nunnans och skökans (mar)dröm", achieved 8,000 SEK at auction, representing the highest recorded result in our database.