On Saturday, it’s time for one of the year’s major art events – the opening at the Sörmlands salon. This year’s salon is located at Södertälje art gallery. 850 works of art were submitted to the salon. But only 165 works passed this year’s jury. It worked with the directive: ‘”hard thinning for high quality and variety”. It is a jury approach that has already sparked debate among Sörmland’s artists. Many from an older generation of painters have had to find themselves rejected! This year’s Sörmlands Salon has come to provide unusually generous space for a new, young generation of painters.

– It feels stimulating! We need a new vision, says LT’s Christer Duke, who on today’s culture page gives his impressions from this year’s Sörmlands Salon.

The Dalai Lama’s abandoned temple in Tibet, family photographs, the bright trunks of birches are included in the painted picture collage that Dan Backman – 18-year-old art student – is debuting in front of his home audience in Södertälje.

He is one of the many “new names” from the Södertälje region who are at this year’s Sörmlands Salon – with the opening this Saturday.

– I have painted my collage with scattered images and ideas on an old roller blind, says Dan Backman, who from time to time works extra as the janitor at Södertälje art gallery. He had finished his interesting collage painting on 2 September – and in October he started at the painting school, Gerlesborg School in Gröndal.

– Nice material! We can make a good exhibition out of that, says Per Drougge, the Art Gallery’s director, convincingly about this year’s jury selection. And we have had a nice and fresh jury! It just feels a little difficult to take down Fritz Sjöström’s exhibition. Many people has called it autumn’s most beautiful art exhibition in Sweden!

THE LUCKY 68

Below is a complete list of the 68 lucky ones who will join this year’s Sörmlands Salon with opening this Saturday – October 20 in Södertälje art gallery:

Lars Agge, Flen, Hans T Andersson, Södertälje, Åke Andersson, Södertälje, Henrik Augén, Stockholm, Helmer Avasalo, Södertälje, Dan Backman, Södertälje, Lahrs Berg, Nyköping, Ingegerd Cato-Persson, Strängnäs, Francisco Corcuera, Enhörna, Gösta Dagermark , Stockholm, Fridolin Dalin, Strängnäs, Harriet Ebeling, Nyköping, Sven Ekdahl, Karlstad, Birgit Elmstam, Södertälje, Bo Englund, Strängnäs, Rolf O. Eriksson, Strängnäs, G. Forsberg, Västerhaninge, Sven Frick, Flen, Hasse Froom, Strängnäs , Jerry Grönberg, Stockholm, Inger Gustavsson, Västerhaninge, Per Hartman, Vingåker, Sven Hellqvist, Julita, Börje Olof Holm, Eskilstuna. Walter Huber. Stockholm, Lisa Ingvall-Holmström, Karlstad, Ulf Ingvall, Järna, Jörgen Palle Jensen, Eskilstuna, Sven H. Johansson, Södertälje, Olov Karlsson, Nyköping, Uno Karlsson, Södertälje, Gun Kessle, Mariefred, Hans Kiessling, Södertälje, Stellan Kristenson, Rönninge, Bergliot Kvarnare, Tumba, Georg Källkvist, Torshälla, Carl-Marcus Larsson, Vällingby, Gunnar Larsson, Eskilstuna, Knut H. Larsson, Flen, Teodor Lidner, Södertälje, Martin Lidström, Rönninge, Barbro M. Lindh, Eskilstuna, Birgitta Lindh Lewin, Södertälje, Hans Lindh, Eskilstuna, Uno Lindberg, Kungsör, Svenrobert Lundquist. Askim, Ulf Lindkvist. Trångsund, Birgitta Nehrman, Södertälje, Per Henrik Nilsson, Gnesta, Katrin Nitsch, Mariefred, Birger Norlin, Katrineholm, Rune Notanius, Södertälje, Brittmarie Pantzar, Eskilstuna, Leif Pantzar, Eskilstuna, Britta Penje, Södertälje, Kaj Piehl, Stockholm, L.G. Pehrsson, Södertälje, Lasse Persson, Rönninge, Bengt Reinholtz, Nyköping, Erika Reisenberger, Hölö, Birgitta Reuterskiöld, Tullinge, Teresa Seger, Hölö, Sheila Snickars, Nyköping, Kelvin Sommer, Sköldinge. Ingvil Stille, Nyköping, Stellan Wiberg, Eskilstuna, Bengt Wikström, Södertälje, Titti Åhs, Södertälje.

Text from LT, 19 October 1973

Image: Gun Kessle, Rain Wang Ling, 1973.