Paris in July, 2024 - A little bit of France in Sweden

We have been touring a small part of Sweden with our van. This year we chose to go around the two big lakes, Vänern (the largest lake in the European Union) and Vättern. As we came to a small town at the northeastern corner of the lake, we found a little bit of French art in Sweden. Here is the story of how a huge sculpture, designed by Picasso, ended up in this small corner of Sweden.

I think Picasso does not need a further introduction, so I just mention that he was born in Malaga in Spain in 1881. In 1901, he moved from Barcelona to Paris and settled down in Montmartre, but later on moved to Montparnasse. He had a complicated family situation with many women, and it was only when he met Jacqueline Rogue, a potter, that he dedicated his life to her. She became his muse, and he stayed with her until his death in 1973, at the age of 91. The head of the sculpture represents his wife, Jacqueline.

How did the sculpture end up in Sweden?

We have to thank Swedish artist Bengt Olson for that. Everything began on a dusty road in France in the early 1960s. By coincidence, the artist Bengt Olson from Kristinehamn met the Norwegian painter, sculptor, and photographer Carl Nesjar, who had just started experimenting with a new concrete material. Pablo Picasso, who was fascinated by the artistic possibilities of the new material, had recently started to work with Carl Nesjar.

They were making a series of sculptures and paintings called "Les Dames de Mougins" with Pablo Picasso's wife Jacqueline as the main theme. The sculptures were planned to be created on a monumental scale with the new concrete material. Carl Nesjar told Bengt Olson they could be built for 150,000 SEK each.

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QUICK FACTS

• Height: 15 meters. The pillar measures 1.65 meters in diameter.

The wings have a span of 6x4 meters.

• Weight: 35 tons, of which one of the wings alone weighs about 8 tons.

• Material: natural concrete. A mold was filled with small stones and then white cement was in-jected.

• The sculpture consists of steel, cement and 90% black granite from Larvik, Norway. The final artistic pattern was created using a technique called sandblasting.

• The surface is said to to be so hard it will last for 2000 years.

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But if they wanted one, they had to act quickly! New York was expected to make an offer any day. Bengt Olson, who was then only 35 years of age, realized that this was a unique opportunity and managed to persuade the city council in Kristinehamn to invest in the building of one such sculpture. It was the heads of the local government who took the initiative. In order to persuade Picasso that Kristinehamn was the perfect location for the sculpture, they sent him photographs and music from Kristinehamn and Värmland.

The official letter of donation arrived in the form of a photograph of the model in the location where it stands today. Picasso had written "Oui, Picasso 7.7 1964" on the photograph. On December 21st, 1964, the official decision to build the sculpture was taken by the city council. The following year, the sculpture was completed and could be inaugurated on Midsummer's Eve, June 25, 1965. Picasso was kept updated on the building progress through photographs and films, although he never visited the site himself. The sculpture, named "Jacqueline," has become the most visited spot in Kristinehamn, attracting thousands of visitors from around the world annually.

It is a magnificent sculpture and is beautifully situated by the water with surrounding green areas. A lot of cafés and restaurants have grown up around the place, and the area is fantastic. A lot of magnificent houses 'litter' this small peninsula, and I can understand that people like to come here in the summer. The sculpture reminds me a little bit of an Indian totem pole in design.

It was such a nice visit, although the weather was rather terrible; cold, windy and rainy. But what do we not do for a little bit of French culture on a rainy day. If you can't go to France, let France come to you.