Bengt Lindström is one of the leading players in the art world of the 20th century. The artist added new dimensions and based his work on Scandinavian traditions. But who is this artist and what has he achieved? You will find out everything about it.
Who is Bengt Lindström?
Bengt Lindström was a Swedish artist who lived between 1925 and 2008. Lindström had a characteristic style with a frequent use of bright colors. Lindström was a lover of Sámi culture and incorporated their traditions into his work. Partly through the use of bright colors, he developed a new form of visual expression. He has left a major mark on the art world and his style is still appreciated by many art lovers.
His younger years
The born and raised Swede was born on September 3, 1925 in the small village of Storsjökapell, located in the province of Norrland. The mythical landscape of mountain ranges and beautiful lakes has undoubtedly inspired him. But an even more important source of inspiration is the Sámi people, also known as the people of Lapland. This admiration did not come out of the blue; From an early age he was exposed to traditions and culture through his father, a primary school teacher and fellow admirer of the Sámi people. When Lindström was three days old, he was baptized by the Sámi king and officially became one of them.
1935 – 1946
Lindström began to develop creatively at an early age. The future artist went to school in the village of Härnösand and started writing science fiction stories there. In the same period he also invented drawing and painting. Later, the Swedish artist continued his school career at the Isaac Grünewald Art School in Stockholm and attended the Copenhagen Arts School in Denmark, where he took drawing lessons from Aksel Jörgensen.
1947 – 1952
After finishing school, Lindström started looking outside Sweden. In 1946 he left for the United States, where he further developed his talent at the Art Institute in Chicago. A year later he left for the art center of the world – Paris and learned the tricks of the trade from Andre Lhote and Fernand Legèr. During this training he learned more about theoretical and technical applications. In Italy, where he traveled again a year later, he developed a fascination for Giotto and Cimabue. After completing several studies, Lindström thought it was time for the real work. Thanks to a scholarship he received through a Swedish magazine, he managed to secure a workshop in Arceuil, France. This is where his first works of art and mosaics were created.
1953 – 1967
After gaining some initial experience, Lindström moved back to Paris and started a collaboration with the Rive Gauche Gallery. Lindström was no longer only concerned with painting and mosaic work, but also started again with lithography and engraving. Lindström grew in his work and that talent did not go unnoticed internationally. Peter Cochrane, director of the Tooth & Sons Gallery in London, has purchased a large number of Lindström’s works. His popularity increased, which led to the Nouvelle Figuration Groupe of the Mathias Feld Gallery and the Ariel Gallery in Paris also beginning to sell and exhibit the artist’s work. Lindström himself has now settled in Savigny-sur-Orge and started a new branch of art: making masks, gods and monsters.
1968-1978
After spending years abroad, Lindström now divides his time between France and Sweden. The number of collaborations is increasing and his work can be seen in more and more art galleries. The artist is especially popular in France. It is now impossible to ignore his work. The increasing popularity and experience also ensures innovation in his ideas. For example, Lindström developed his first tapestry, called Les Hommes du Nord, published a box set album based on Scandinavian mythology and created two bronze sculptures together with Jacques Putman.
1979 – 1983
His art collection continued to expand and the number of different art forms also increased. For example, from the late 1970s onwards, Lindström experimented with glass sculptures and made small painted sculptures with papier-mâché. For the Art and History Museum in Stockholm, the artist exhibited seven monumental works of art, each measuring 3 x 2.5 meters. He also completed the colorful building ‘Thor’s Hammer’, which has been inextricably linked to the Volvo car brand since 1980.
1985 – 1994
Lindström moved again to another country. This time he stayed in Alicante, Spain, where friends arranged a workplace for him. A large number of exhibitions took place during this period, including in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy. For example, the artist collaborated with the San Carlo Galley in Milan. In the 1990s he abandoned his signature bright colors and started working in black and white. He also continued making sculptures.
1995 – 1999
Later in the 1990s it was time for a return to the art center of Paris. Yet he did not completely leave his country of origin behind and Lindström kept a retrospective perspective in the Sundsvall Museum in Sweden, where, among other things, “Le Géant sur la Montagne”, a monumental canvas of 700 meters, was on display. The inauguration of the Midlanda Contemporary Arts Center took place in Sweden, where the collection of the Bengt and Michèle Lindström Foundation was managed. The entire collection was later donated to the Länsmuseet i Västernorrland in Härnösand.
2000 – 2008
The artist, who is now elderly, is far from fully developed. For example, he painted all sides of a truck for Scania, Sweden’s most important truck manufacturer.

In the meantime, Lindström not only made art himself, but art was also made about him. For example, the Swiss publisher des et Calendes published a small monograph with text by Françoise Monnin at that time and a notebook called “Le Visage dans l’Art de Bengt Lindström” (The face in the art of Bengt Lindström) was published. In 2004, a film about his life was published: “Lindström – Le Diable de la Couleur et de la Forme” (Lindström – The Devil of Color and Shape). This film was broadcast not only on Swedish television, but also in the Swedish Cultural Center of Paris. In addition, the film has been released on DVD.
When the film was released, Lindström had stopped painting for a year. The artist became disabled due to a stroke in 2003. However, his exhibitions continued as usual. Five years later, on January 29, 2008, Lindström passed away at his home in Sundsvall, Sweden. But to this day he continues to inspire people all over the world with his work.
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