Liselotte Watkins & Sigrid Hjertén

Liselotte Watkins/Sigrid Hjertén. In the 90s, she was an immensely influential fashion illustrator, both in Sweden and on the international scene. Since then, through her geometrically constructed paintings and her playful use of colour, Watkins (b. 1971) has come into her own as a tremendously productive generator of peculiar worlds and imagery. The common thread here is women and the worlds they inhabit. These were also significant themes for expressionist Sigrid Hjertén – whose great influence on Watkins resulted in a TV programme produced earlier this year.

The exhibition also includes a number of works by the earlier artist. None of the selected works have been shown publicly for at least 10 years, and they all date back to the 1910s and 20s, the period when the influence from Matisse was at its strongest. However, this was also a time when Hjertén focused on motifs related to female roles, both those of her own alter egos and those of the women around her.