Einar Nerman (6 October 1888 – 30 March 1983) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

artist known for his portraits, book and magazine illustrations and theatrical designs.

Early life and education

He grew up in a middle-class family in Norrköping with his twin brother,

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Birger Nerman Birger Nerman (6 October 188822 August 1971) was a Swedish archaeologist, historian and philologist who specialized in the history and culture of Iron Age Sweden. Nerman was educated at Uppsala University, where he began his career as a lectur ...

, and older brother, Swedish Communist leader

Ture Nerman Ture Nerman (18 May 1886, in Norrköping – 7 October 1969) was a Swedish socialist. As a journalist and author, he was a well-known political activist in his time. He also wrote poems and songs. Nerman was a vegetarian and a strict teetotale ...

. Their parents were Janne Emanuel Nerman and Ida Anna Adéle Nordberg. In 1905 Nerman dropped out of Norrköping Gymnasium High School and enrolled into the

Konstnärsförbundets skola was a painting school in Stockholm, Sweden, which was offered by ('the Artists' Society') 1890– 1908. The latter association was in turn established in opposition to the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. One of the school's co-founders was ...

in Stockholm. In 1908 he went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

to study with

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

at the Academie Matisse and at the Académie Colarossi. In 1910 he published ''Artists'' which contained cartoons and caricatures. In 1912 he returned to Sweden to study music and dance at the drama school of Elin Svensson. The young artist exhibited with the male-only

Avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

group "" (1907–1911), an association that defied the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architec ...

. During the 1911 exhibition Nerman's drawings were shown alongside sculptures by Ivar Johnsson, graphics by Artur Sahlén, and miniatures by Fanny Falkner. He provided illustrations for "

The Swineherd "The Swineherd" ( da, Svinedrengen) is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a prince who disguises himself as a swineherd to win an arrogant princess. The tale was first published December 20, 1841 by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen ...

" (1912) by Hans Christian Andersen and "Gösta Berlings: pictures" (1916). He also illustrated the children's picture books ''Crow's Dream'' (1911), ''Stars'' (1913), and illustrations for the novel ''Short Cavalier stories'' (1918) by

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, '' Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she wa ...

. In 1918 he met Ivor Novello in a night-club in Stockholm who suggested Nerman should draw the stars of the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...

. In 1919 he visited

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as a ballet dancer, performing in a variety at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

. When he discovered that they were to tour the provincial music halls as well, he broke his contract and returned to Sweden.

Career

In 1921 Nerman moved to London to work on a weekly page of theatrical caricatures for ''

The Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

''. He also submitted caricatures of musicians performing at the Royal Albert Hall and elsewhere to the fashionable magazine ''Eve: The Lady's Pictorial''. When his friend Ivor Novello opened the "Fifty-fifty" club for theater people, Nerman was asked to decorate the walls. In 1923 he published the children's book ''Knight Finn Komfusenfej''. In 1925 he collaborated with Christine Doorman on ''Selma Lagerlöf: her life and works in

Mårbacka Mårbacka is a manor house in Sunne Municipality in Värmland, Sweden. The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, Selma Lagerlöf, was born and raised at Mårbacka. Today, the manor building and the surrounding area is kept as a memo ...

''. He made the illustrations for the 1928 edition of ''

Thumbelina Thumbelina (; da, Tommelise) is a literary fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Travelling Companion" in ...

'', by Hans Christian Andersen. In 1929 he published ''Darlings of the gods: in music hall, revue, and musical comedy'' to compile his caricatures of theater stars featured in ''The Tatler'' since 1922. The same year his caricatures were in ''The second minuet'' by English composer

Maurice Besly Edward Maurice Besly (28 January 1888 - 12 April (?), 1945) was an English composer, conductor, schoolteacher, organist and arranger best known for his popular ballads, ''The Second Minuet'' and ''Time, You Old Gipsy Man''. More ambitious vocal p ...

, with foreword by British novelist

Alec Waugh Alexander Raban Waugh (8 July 1898 – 3 September 1981) was a British novelist, the elder brother of the better-known Evelyn Waugh, uncle of Auberon Waugh and son of Arthur Waugh, author, literary critic, and publisher. His first wife was Bar ...

. In 1930, Nerman returned to Sweden and bought

Hersbyholm Hersbyholm is known as the oldest and biggest farm in Lidingö, Sweden. The farm includes a manor, and is situated near the neighbourhood of Hersby. The farm has had several different owners through its lifetime and has been inhabited by different ...

, an 18th-century house in

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...

. By then, he and his wife Kajsa Susanne had three children. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the family relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

where Nerman was hired by the '' New York Journal-American'' to draw Hollywood stars like

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

and Alfred Hitchcock, among them Swedish friends

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

and Ingrid Bergman. In 1939 he published ''A trip to gingerbread land''. In 1944 Nerman published ''Portraits by Nerman''. In 1946 he published ''Caricature'' and illustrated ''Fairy Tales from the North'', a collection of fairy tales from Denmark, Sweden and Norway by

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (15 January 18125 January 1885) was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections ...

. In 1950 Nerman returned to Lidingö where he became a member of the Association of Swedish Professional Illustrators and Graphic Designers. In 1964 he illustrated "

The Goose Girl "The Goose Girl" (german: Die Gänsemagd) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and first published in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' in 1815 (KHM 89). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 533. The story was first translated into English b ...

" by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

. In 1969 he published ''The wedding in Valpköping and other animal tales''. He died in 1983.

Legacy

Nerman acknowledged he was influenced during his youth by oriental artists, Norwegian artist

Olaf Gulbransson Olaf Leonhard Gulbransson (26 May 1873 in Oslo18 September 1958 in Tegernsee, West Germany) was a Norwegian people, Norwegian artist, Painting, painter and designer. He is probably best known for his caricatures and illustrations. Biography From ...

, and Henri Matisse; later on also by

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the ...

and

Ralph Barton Ralph Waldo Emerson Barton (August 14, 1891 – May 19, 1931) was a popular American cartoonist and caricaturist of actors and other celebrities. His work was in heavy demand through the 1920s and has been considered to epitomize the era, but hi ...

. He made the illustrations for many of the books of Swedish Nobel Prize in Literature Selma Lagerlöf and earned a name in his country for designing all images behind the Solstickan matchbox. He also made many of the artistic book covers for his brother Birger's published writings and wrote songs and composed music to many of his brother Ture’s poems. In 2020 his portraits of

Einar Jolin Einar Jolin (7 August 189029 August 1976) was a Swedish painter best known for his decorative and slightly naïve Expressionist style. After studying at Konstfack, Stockholm in 1906 and at the '' Konstnärsförbundets målarskola'' (the Art ...

(1908), Isaac Grünewald (1907), Hanna Maria Sahlström in an interior (1911) were sold at auction.

Gallery

File:Porträttfoton av Direktörskursen vid Gymnastiska Centralinstitutet 1894 gih0141.jpg, Norrköping Gymnasium High School 1894 File:Nerman, Kajsa och Einar i VJ 52 1916.jpg, ''Einar and Kajsa on their wedding day'' File:Einar Nerman född 1888.jpg, ''Einar Nerman'' File:De unga teckning i konstnärsfolk x E Nerman.jpg, ''Young artists''

Notes

Sources

* Einar Nerman: "''Caricature''", Holme Press Incorporated, 1946. * Sandy Wilson: "''Caught in the act''", George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, Great Britain 1976. * Maria Nikolajeva, Carole Scott: "''How picturebooks work''", Psychology Press, 2001, p. 60. * Elina Druker, Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer: "''Childrens books in the avant-garde''", John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015, pp. 45, 49, 62 & 63.

External links

Cover Drawing of Greta Garbo by Einar Nerman ("''Greta Garbos Saga''", The first written biography about Greta Garbo – Stockholm 1929)

Einar Nerman , Images Musicales Stories

Einar Nerman ( 1888–1983)

Einar Nerman's Beautifully Illustrated Sheet-Music Covers - Illustration Chronicles

Einar Nerman

Einar Nerman: from the picturebook page to the avant-garde stage

Solstickan match box
* Einar Nerman at the Nationalmuseum of Sweden:
Nationalmuseum - Einar Nerman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nerman, Einar 1888 births 1983 deaths People from Norrköping Swedish illustrators