'
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s | January 28, 2026
Blogging

First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s | January 28, 2026

author
2 minutes, 17 seconds Read

First post of the year. It’s a very late post, written by someone out of line. Who hasn’t quite found the rhythm yet? How are you?

Anyway, I thought we’d take a look at the first auction find of the year! A sculpture for my collection. I recently picked up this pig-heavy piece from Helsingborgs Auktionsverk, dated 1960, by Swedish artist Walter Bengtsson.

70cm high, cast in solid and then ground and brushed aluminum.
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

What I like about sculptures is how different they look depending on the angle you view them from. When you turn it, you see completely new things!
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

I haven’t found a good place for it at home yet, it’s so heavy I’m afraid it will fall on a curious little one. I think it might get a spot on the floor, mounted securely on some sort of low wooden base, so it will be a little more secure.
The sculptor, painter and graphic artist Walter Bengtsson (1927 – 1998) trained at the Valand Art School in Gothenburg from 1954 – 1958. The following year he continued his art studies at the Academia de Brera in Milan under the guidance of Marino Marino. In 1971, Walter Bengtsson was elected a member of the Swedish Academy of Arts.

Let’s take a look at some other sculptures he made:

First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

Embossed in metal. I have felt a lot for this kind of work! Was inspired
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

Another relief. This is the back that really got me hooked!
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

He also made many slightly more idiosyncratic sculptures in metal
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

And I found this one interesting too, it looks like they are cast pieces that are then “sewn together” with weld points.
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

But I like this series of sculptures the most. They come in many sizes, as I’ve seen on the auction sites now that I’ve looked around a bit.
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

Metal casting is something I am very passionate about. Think of what you threw into grandma and grandpa’s house as a little child on New Year’s Eve! To predict a little what the year would be like?

Do you think these were made the same year as Woodstock? 1969, Summer of Love

He also performed many public awards and these are probably the decorations he is best known for. Sculptures on facades, fountains and standing sculptures.

But I especially fell for this in Gothenburg. Do you think these were made the same year as Woodstock? 1969, Summer of love. It gives them something extra, I think. In general, it is interesting to know in which year a work was created. What was going on at that time, what was happening in the world that year? How did it reflect what felt like appropriate public art?

First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s

Giant figures in lumpy shapes. This is called Bede and the swan1969.
First art purchase of the year, image from the 1960s


#art #purchase #year #image #1960s #January

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *