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About Karl Axel Pehrson

1921

Born October 30 in Örebro. Parents: Director Carl Arvid Pehrson and his wife Emma, née Larsson.

1922

Pehrson´s father dies in an automobile crash in August.

1936

Karl Axel finishes school at the age of fifteen. Sets out on an educational journey to Austria together with his older brother, Karl Erik.

1937

Studies at the Edvard Berggren school of painting.

1938-1940

Studies at the Otte Sköld School of Painting. Comes in contact with Pierre Olofsson and meets his future wife, Birgit Nilsson.

1940-1946

Studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, first with Otte Sköld and later with Fritiof Shüldt and Sven X-et Erixson as instructors. Comes in contact with Lennart Rodhe.

1943

On October 30, marries Birgit Nilsson (b. 1918), daughter of the merchant Jonas Nilsson and his wife, Anna, née Bernholm. The couple moves into one floor of the Gardener´s Residence at Svindersvik, a manor home in Nacka.

1944

Daughter Susanne is born.

1947

Participates in the exhibition "Young Art" at Färg och Form Gallery.

1948

Participates in the exhibition "Realités Nouvelles" in Paris. Contributes in 1949 and 1950 as well.

1949

Participates in the exhibition "Concrete" at Galerie Blanche in Stockholm. Participates in the "New Reality" exhibition shown at the Gothenburg Art Gallery and at Gävle Museum. Makes a series of mosaics in Västertorp together with Pierre Olofsson and Einar Lynge-Ahlberg. Contributes to the art for the World Sport Exhibition in Stockholm.
Son Max is born.

1950

Makes the tempera painting "Slinglek" for Eskilstuna Hospital.

1951

Makes a mural for the Boden Military Hospital.
Moves to Gethagsvägen 7 in Enebyberg.

1953

Participates in the Concretists´ exhibition at Denise René Gallery in Paris. Makes a relief in concrete for the Blackeberg Secondary School. Designs stamps for the Telecommunications Administration´s centennial celebration together with Pierre Olofsson.

1954

Solo exhibition at Galerie Blanche in Stockholm. Paints the ceiling of Halmstad`s new community center theater together with Pierre Olofsson. Makes the mural "Tempered Ascent" in Astra´s lobby in Södertälje.Designs a fabric,"Dolphinic Motion", for NK department store in Stockholm, and two others,"Shoal of Fish" and "Stratosphere", for STOBO in Stockholm. Participates in the exhibition "Mrs. Widlund`s Artifacts" at the gallery Samlaren in Stockholm.

1955

Makes a Venetian plaster painting and frieze for Astra in Södertälje together with Olle Bonniér, Lage Lindell, Pierre Olofsson, and Lennart Rodhe. Contributes to "Swedish Abstract", a travelling exhibition arranged by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Pehrson´s "Streams" appears on the cover of the catalog. Solo show at Södertälje Art Gallery. Makes a mosaic at Västerås Waterworks together with Pierre Olofsson and Arne Jones.

1956

Designs the poster for the World Music Festival..

1957

Comissioned by the National Public Art Council to make the curtain for the auditorium of Norra Seminariet (now the Ringberg School) in Växjö.

1957-58

Makes the mural "Springvända" in Svenska Handelsbanken`s office at Hötorgscity in Stockholm.

1958-59

Makes the mural "Bounty of the Sea" in the new post office in Örebro (trough the National Public Art Council).

1960

Makes a mural for the Family Hotel in Näsbypark. Designs the poster for the Nordic Union of Graphic Designers.
Undergoes an operation for a goiter in the fall.

1961

Solo exhibition at the SDS Hall in Malmö. Makes a mural called (h´)u(r) ska´vi(e) for Margarinbolaget ,Stockholm. Designs a poster for the Spring Salon at Liljevalch´s Art Gallery.
Admitted and treated for alcoholism at Ulleråker Hospital, Uppsala.
Spends the summers of 1961-70 with his family on the island of Öland at Hornsudden, near Sven Ljungberg and Ann-Margret Dahlqvist-Ljungberg.

1962

Aquires a lineman´s-cabin in Brintbodarna, between Mora and Vansbro in Dalarna County. Keeps the cabin untill 1970.
Solo exhibitions at Eskilstuna Museum and Galerie Maneten, Gothenburg.

1963

Solo exhibition at Galerie Burén, Stockholm.

1963-64

Becomes a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

1964

Becomes a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Solo exhibition of sculptures at Galerie Burén, Stockholm. Makes the statuette "Guldbaggen" (the Golden Beetle) for the annual awards given by the Swedish Film Institute. Solo exhibition at the Västerbotten Art Association in Umeå.

1965

Undertakes a trip through Mexico to study culture and insects.

1965-66

Makes a monumental trellis, "Transländedans", for the Tibble School in Täby.

1966

Makes a piece for the Hjalmar Bergman Theater in Örebro. Makes "Storefront Window" for the Söderbymalm School in Handen.

1967-68

Makes a series of insect sculptures, "Animals that Don´t Exist", as decoration for the Gärdet subway station in Stockholm.

1967

Solo exhibition, "The City´s Insects", at the Stockholm City Museum. Comes in contact with Nils-Erik Landell. Solo exhibition at Örebro County Museum.

1968

Spends several months each spring 1968-73 with Gustav Rudberg and Lage Lindell at Hven.  Makes the piece "Different Reality" for the Örebro Civic Hall.

1969

Acquires a summerhouse on the island of Harö in Roslagen.
Makes two sculptures for Jakobsberg Secondary School.

1970

Solo exhibition at Galerie Burén in Stockholm. Takes a trip to Germany with Ulf Linde. Goes along on several trips to Spain, the Netherlands, and England troughout the 1970s with the Friends of Moderna Museet under the leadership of Ulf Linde.

1972

Makes a series of decorative pieces for Sturup Airport in Malmö, including a painting, a beetle cabinet, and two sculptures. Exhibition "Fantasy and Reality" at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Retrospective show at the Thiel Gallery, Stockholm.

1973

Wins the Hjalmar Bergman Award. First exhibition

1974

Designs two tapestries for Riksbanken, Sweden´s central bank, woven bu the Association of the Friends of Handicrafts. Makes the diploma for the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Sir Anthony Hewish and Sir Martin Ryle.

1975

Buys a house in Isla La Palma, Canary Islands, and subsequently spends two or three months there each winter, from mid-December to late Februari.

1977

First solo exhibition at the Thiel Gallery, Stockholm.

1978

Piece for the cupola of the Thiel Gallery. Solo exhibition at the Vänersborg Museum. Solo exhibition att Uddenberg Gallery in Gothenburg.
Travels to Australia to study beetles together with Birgit and Gunnar and Ingrid Brusewitz.

1979

Second exhibition at Astley Gallery in Uttersberg..

1980

Wins Nerikes Allehandas Kulturpris, a cultural achievement award.

1982

Awarded the Prince Eugen Medal. Solo exhibition at the Thiel Gallery.

1983

Bo Sporrstedt´s"Från Oriro och andra trakter" (From Oriro and Other Parts) is published by Öppna ögon, Henki Tisens förlag, and Konstfrämjandets konstklubb.

1987

Ulf Linde publishes the monograph "Karl Axel Pehrson", Legenda förlag, publisher.

1988

Third exhibition at Astley Gallery, Uttersberg. Wins the Danderyd Culture Prize. Third solo exhibition at Thiel Gallery. Pehrson´s piece "The Bounty of the Sea" is relocated from Örebro to the staircase of the National Museum.

1989

Solo exhibition at the Art Center in Gävle, Örnsköldsvik City Hall, and Örebro County Museum.

1990

Piece for the Speaker´s Dining Room in the Riksdagshuset, the House of Parliament..

1991

Solo exhibition at Gallery Viktor, Djursholm. Retrospective exhibition at Landskrona Art Gallery. Solo exhibition at Borstahusen, Landskrona.

1992

"Bounty of the Sea" is removed from the staircase of the National Museum. Retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts arranged by the Swedish public Art Association.
Per Bjurström writes the monograph "Karl Axel Pehrson", published by the Swedish Public Art Association.

1998-99

"Karl Axel Pehrson, Retrospectively" is shown at Gävleborg County Museum, Östergötland County Museum, the Bohuslän Museum, the Gotland Museum of Art, Örebro County Museum, and the Trelleborg Museum.

2000

Exhibition at Argo Gallery, Stockholm.

2001

Participates in the group exhibition "Young Ladies and Older Gentlemen" at Uppsala Museum of Art and Hishult Art Gallery.
Ralph Herrmans publishes "Karl Axel Pehrson: the Baron von Münchhausen of Art", Läseleket förlag, publisher.

2002

Exhibition at Grafoteket in Stockholm. Group exhibition "Young Ladies and Older Gentlemen" at Gävleborg County Museum. "Fantasy and Reality", an exhibition of graphic art in Jakarta, Indonesia arranged by Astley Gallery in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy in Jakarta.

2003

Exhibitions at the Borås Art Museum and The Nässjö Museum.

2004

Exhibition at the House of Art in Luleå.

2005

Exhibition at the Artist´s House in Stockholm.
The Karl Axel Pehrson Foundation is formed.
Karl Axel Pehrson dies on August 10 in Danderyd.

2006

Retrospectiv exhibition at the Thiel Gallery, Stockholm
The Karl Axel Pehrson Foundation finds a permanent home at Örebro County Museum
"Donation Exhibition" of Pehrson´s work at Örebro County Museum.

2007

Exhibitions at the Ljungberg Museum in Ljungby, the Småland Art Archives in Värnamo, and Leufsta Manor in Lövstabruk.

2009

Exhibitions at Nora Art Gallery and Hällefors Library.

2010

"A smaller selection of artworks by Karl Axel Pehrson" at the Örebro County Museum.

2011

Exhibitions "With Nature as a Point of Departure" at the Norrköping Museum of Art and "Narurally" at Bror Hjorths Hus in Uppsala.

2013

"Bird, Fish or In Between" at the Örebro County Museum.

2022
The Karl Axel Pehrson foundation is permuted. This does not mean any change to how the collection is managed and displayed. The collection is part of Örebro County Museum's art collections.