Bruno Liljefors: Wild Sweden

After two exhibitions devoted to Swedish painters Carl Larsson (2014) and Anders Zorn (2017), the Petit Palais pays tribute to Bruno Liljefors, completing its programme focusing on the illustrious Swedish trio known as “ABC”, derived from the initials of their first names. Less known than his peers, Liljefors was nevertheless an important figure on the Scandinavian arts scene in the late nineteenth century. By showing his work to the French public, the Petit Palais seeks to highlight his pictorial skill and his original contribution to the imaginative repertoire of Swedish nature. This unique exhibition features around one hundred pieces, including paintings, drawings, and photographs from Swedish museums and private collections. An astute observer, Liljefors captured real families of foxes, hares, ospreys, eiders, and grouse, working directly from nature and even using his acrobatic skills to climb trees. Influenced by Japonisme and Far Eastern art, he arranged some of his paintings within large golden frames inspired by the Japanese technique of harimaze.

General curator: Annick Lemoine, Head Curator, Director of the Petit Palais.
Specialist curators: Sandra Buratti-Hasan, Curator at the Musée des Beaux-arts de Bordeaux; Carl-Johan Olsson, 19th-century Painting Curator at the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm.