Lars Jonsson is the most prominent painter of birds and nature in Sweden. In the exhibition invisibilis, his lifelong artistry alongside many new works are presented.

Lars Jonsson is considered one of the world’s finest in depicting birds and nature, a genre with a long-standing tradition in art history. The influence from Bruno Liljefors is particularly evident, who exhibited in the very same halls of Liljevalchs, in the art gallery’s first exhibition in 1916. In the 1970s, Lars Jonsson became known internationally as an ornithologist for his handbook about the birds of Sweden.

With his deep knowledge, unique perception and technical skills, Lars Jonsson has revolutionized bird painting. In his paintings, the birds’ appearance and the close connection to their habitats are captured, but the images also reach deeper, into their characters and inner lives. In the exhibition, we are invited to follow the artists’ creative process, from sketch to completed painting. In the poetic depictions, we perceive something that on the surface seems hidden, but that is made visible by Lars’ ability to identify with the personality and soul of the birds.

When I, for the first time this year, point the monocular to the couple of eiders in the graygreen water, calmly swimming in from the shores, it’s that same feeling and perception of something that needs to be captured, read and eternalized. In the exact moment that I see the scene, my head paints what my retina perceives – the combination of graygreen, pink, the white that shifts to shades of peach, mango, lemon peel, vanilla and the edges as black as dry liquorice, and slowly, the waves wander in toward the beach. The wonder takes place here and now, says Lars Jonsson, artist.

The curator of the exhibition is Emil Ivedal.

Image: Septemberskymning (Common snipe), watercolour, 2024.