Rune Hagberg (1924-2015)
Circa 1960
Tempura on paper
28″ x 38 3/4″

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, Rune Hagberg (1924-2015) was an artist and pupil of Zen Buddhism. His works are rooted in his meditative practice and explore silence and introspection. In the 1950s, he created large-scale works on paper using ink and paint, with techniques borrowed from Eastern calligraphy. His mark-making style was spontaneous, exemplary of the Scandinavian art movement referred to as Spontanism. In this way, the paint and ink took shape on the paper at random, with a powerful yet serene energy. Later in his life, Hagberg found expression in sculptural works. He would bind sheets of symbols into reels and tie them with string, keeping the symbols a secret within the frame.

Rune Hagberg exhibited in Sweden and internationally, most notably at Moderna Museet in Malmö and Norrköping Art Museum. His work is now included in numerous collections, such as Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art, Stockholm; Modern Museum, Stockholm and Göteborgs Konstmuseum.

Signed in lower right corner. Displayed in a silver-leaf wood frame, 20 1/2″ x 40 1/2″.