Richard Bergh
1858–1919 · Swedish Symbolist painter, portraitist and landscape artist
Sven Richard Bergh (Stockholm, 1858 - 1919) was a Swedish painter best known for his portraits and landscapes, and an important figure in Nordic art at the end of the nineteenth century. From 1915 until his death he also directed the Swedish National Museum's agency, a post he held alongside his painting and a substantial output as an art critic and essayist.
The son of the artists Johan Edvard Bergh and Amanda Helander, he received his first lessons from Edvard Perséus. Between 1878 and 1881 he studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, where his early works depicted scenes from Swedish history in an academic manner. In 1881 he moved to Paris, taking lessons from Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Colarossi, and made his Salon debut in 1883.
In France he was drawn more to the naturalism of Jules Bastien-Lepage than to Impressionism. In 1885 he joined the Nordic artists who protested against the teaching methods of the Swedish academy, and became secretary of the group that founded the Artists' Association. His portraits of the 1880s blend realism with a touch of Romanticism, while his work grew more emotional and melancholic in the late decade.
A personal tragedy shaped his output. His wife Helena Klemming, the model for many of his canvases, died of an incurable illness in 1889. After marrying Gerda Winkrans in 1890, his portraits of the 1890s, such as that of Eva Bonnier, show psychological nuance. Around 1893 he settled in Varberg, where with Nils Kreuger and Karl Nordström he helped develop a new landscape style known as the Varberg School. Later he turned toward Romantic nationalism, and his portraits of August Strindberg and Gustaf Fröding are among his best known works.
As head of the National Museum, he pushed for modernised exhibitions and purchasing policies, and he left writings on contemporary art. His legacy lies in renewing Swedish painting of his time and in bringing European currents to a younger generation.
Works (15)
This painting shows a couple identified as Prince Eugen of Sweden and Karin Pyk. Its title places the scene on a summer evening in northern Europe, where daylight lingers late into the night. The available information does not clarify who commissioned the work or how it was received, so it is best understood as an intimate portrayal of two people within a carefully evoked atmosphere.
This genre scene by Richard Bergh, painted in 1884 in oil on canvas, is a large work, about two metres wide. Its title, After the sitting, suggests a moment following a session with a model, though no further details about the figures or setting are known. It is held at the Malmö Art Museum.
This 1897 painting by Richard Bergh shows a knight in armour beside a woman in a meadow, with a feather as a notable detail. The record offers no further information about its commission or meaning, so reading the scene itself is the safest approach: the contrast between the metallic rigidity of the armour and the female figure within an open landscape.
Richard Bergh painted this oil on canvas in 1903, showing six members of the Swedish Society of Artists: Bergh himself, Karl Nordström, Nils Kreuger, Christian Eriksson, Robert Thegerström and Eugène Jansson. The record does not specify the occasion or any commission, so reading the work relies mainly on its title, which refers to a council meeting. It nonetheless captures a moment of collective activity among artists of the same generation.
Landscape painting dated 1894 showing the city wall of Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland. Richard Bergh painted it in oil on canvas, on a large scale. The title, Vision, seems to point toward an evocative, imaginative view rather than a purely topographical one, though little is known about its intended purpose or how it was received at the time.
Painted in 1903 by Richard Bergh, the work shows elderly people by the beach, as its title suggests. The available information does not clarify the commission, the setting, or the artist's intentions. It is now held by the National Gallery of Denmark, where its large format can be seen first-hand.
Portrait of the Swedish painter Nils Kreuger, made in 1883 by Richard Bergh in oil on canvas. The available record offers no details about its commission, composition or context, so it can only be noted as a portrait of a fellow artist, a common subject in painting of the period.
Portrait of Gustaf Fröding painted by Richard Bergh in 1909, belonging to the portrait genre. No further details about its commission, composition or technique are available, so this description stays with the basic facts. The work is held in the Bonnierska Porträttsamlingen, a collection devoted to portraits.
Richard Bergh's 1895 oil on canvas, Landscape from Halland, takes its name from the region it depicts and offers an open, wide view of the land. The available information does not describe a commission or the exact spot shown, so any reading of its composition or meaning would be speculative.
Where to see the work
- Nationalmuseum Stockholm · 6
- Gothenburg Museum of Art Gothenburg Municipality · 4
- Statens Museum for Kunst Copenhagen Municipality · 2
- Malmö Art Museum Malmö Municipality · 1
- Thiel Gallery Stockholm Municipality · 1
- Bonnierska Porträttsamlingen · 1
Teachers and pupils
Studied with
- Jean-Paul Laurens 1838–1921
- Edvard Perséus 1841–1890