A specialist in monumental paintings with geometric motifs, Barbro Östlihn is the latest Scandinavian artist to be honored by theSwedish Institute. The cultural center in the Marais district of Paris is organizing a free exhibition devoted to this painter, several of whose works are also part of the collection of Stockholm's Moderna Museet.
Born on May 20, 1930 in Bromma, Sweden, Barbro Östlihn began her career in Stockholm, before moving across the Atlantic to New York in 1961. It was in Manhattan that the Swedish artist developed her taste for monumental painting. Her large-scale canvases combine fragments of architecture, geometric macroforms and mosaic motifs. After New York, Barbro Östlihn finally settled in Paris, France, where she died on January 27, 1995.
Long overshadowed by her husband, Öyvind Fahlström, Barbro Östlihn played a key role in cultural exchanges between the United States and Europe. The artist was also one of the few women to exhibit at Pop Art at London's Hayward Gallery in 1969.
This spring and summer, theSwedish Institute in Paris pays tribute to the work of Barbro Östlihn with this free exhibition, on view from March 28 to July 20, 2025. For the occasion, the Scandinavian cultural center presents 18 of his emblematic works. Spread over two separate rooms, these works focus more specifically on architectural and pictorial spatiality.
This is the first retrospective devoted to Barbro Östlihn in France, following an initial presentation of his New York period in 1999. Lovers of modern and contemporary art will appreciate the powerful, singular work of this Scandinavian artist and his fascination with architectural transformations. This small exhibition is also an opportunity to discover several renovated spaces in the sublime Hôtel de Marle!
The selection of works on display is complemented by sketches of the artist's work and a number of photographs documenting the relationship between Swedish and French artists in Paris from the 70s to the 90s.
The Swedish Institute in Paris: Sweden's only cultural center abroad
For a trip to Scandinavia without even leaving the capital, head for the Swedish Institute! Housed in the sublime Hôtel de Marle since 1971, the Nordic cultural center offers a rich and varied program of events all year round, showcasing art, music, design and cinema straight from Sweden. [Read more]
To top it all off, theSwedish Institute is presenting, alongside this exhibition dedicated to Barbro Östlihn, a small original installation devoted to the printed world of Pontus Hultén. Celebrated art historian and curator, Pontus Hultén was head of Stockholm's Moderna Museet from 1958 to 1973, before becoming the first director of the Musée national d'art moderne at the Centre Pompidou between 1973 and 1981.
Entitled"Keep Smiling! The Printed World of Pontus Hultén", this small exhibition showcases in a single room (on your left as you enter the Swedish Institute) some one hundred graphic productions created under the direction of the art specialist.
Catalogs, invitations and posters bear witness to Pontus Hultén's playful, inventive anarchism. Note that this installation, on view until September 21, echoes the"Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hultén" exhibition, on view from June 20, 2025 at the Grand Palais.
During its period of closure, the Centre Pompidou plans to take over several venues in Paris and elsewhere, including the Grand Palais. It is here, in this fully restored space in the heart of the capital, that the Centre Pompidou will be showcasing artists Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, as well as the Swedish art historian Pontus Hultén, who was the first director of Beaubourg, in a never-before-seen exhibition. [Read more]
Dates and Opening Time
From March 28, 2025 to July 20, 2025
Location
Swedish Institute
11 rue Payenne
75003 Paris 3
Prices
Free
Official website
paris.si.se
The Swedish Institute in Paris: Sweden's only cultural center abroad
Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hultén: a new exhibition at the Grand Palais
