Collection
Vintage Abstract Paintings
Vintage abstract paintings are original works from a time when abstraction was the language of modernity – colour, rhythm and form instead of depiction. The collection features works on paper and canvas from the 1950s–90s, mostly Scandinavian. Other artworks are in our vintage paintings category.
Post-war abstraction in Scandinavia
After 1945, abstraction became the mainstream of modern art in Europe. In Sweden, concretism developed – geometric abstraction built on pure planes of colour, associated with Olle Bærtling and Lennart Rodhe, among others. In Denmark, Asger Jorn and the CoBrA group (1948–1951) championed the spontaneous gesture, expressive colour and inspiration from children’s and folk art.
These two tendencies – the order of geometry and the freedom of gesture – shaped Scandinavian abstraction for decades to come. The works in this collection belong mainly to the second and third generations of artists, who took up this language in the 1960s–80s.
Artists and techniques
Most works come from Sweden and Denmark, with a few from France and Italy. They include works by Lennart Lilja, Paul Holsby, Margareta Treutiger, Roald Ditmer and Poul Esting. Works on paper predominate – including signed prints – alongside paintings on canvas.
Framing and display
A work on paper is best framed behind UV-filtering glass, with an acid-free mount that keeps the paper away from the glass. Do not hang it in full sun or above a radiator – the paper yellows and cockles. Hang a picture so that its centre is at about 150 cm, or 20–30 cm above a sofa or sideboard. The dimensions of each work are listed in the Dimensions tab.
