Christian Eriksson
The sculptor from Värmland.
Christian Eriksson made sculptures for the Nordic Museum and the Royal Dramatic Theatre. He combined French sculpture with Swedish subjects.
Christian Eriksson was born in 1858 in Taserud near Arvika in Värmland. His father was a joiner and woodcarver, and Christian learned early to work with wood. He first trained as a cabinetmaker and then came to Stockholm for further studies.
In 1883 he travelled to Paris, where he stayed for fifteen years. He studied sculpture and was influenced by French naturalism and by Rodin. In Paris he married a Frenchwoman, Jeanne Tramcourt, who often modelled for him. He moved among the Opponents and the Swedish artists in the city.
After returning to Sweden in 1898 he became one of the country’s most sought-after sculptors. He made decorations for the Nordic Museum and reliefs for the façade of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, which opened in 1908. He also made the statue of Engelbrekt for Stockholm City Hall. His style combines the soft lines of Art Nouveau with a realistic and often popular depiction of people.
Eriksson kept his ties to Värmland all his life. His farm in Taserud became a meeting place for the artists of the Rackstad colony. Today his works are shown at the Rackstad Museum in Arvika. His son Liss Eriksson also became a sculptor.
He died in 1935. Christian Eriksson is regarded, together with Per Hasselberg, as one of the sculptors who renewed Swedish sculpture around the turn of the 20th century.