The curiosity and joy was great when Luna with the main library, art gallery, auditorium and café was inaugurated for the residents of Södertälje in new premises. The citizens had been given a new cultural oasis, with everything gathered in place and where the idea of ​​a public living room had been realized. A new bright and spacious art gallery with an exhibition area of ​​500 square meters, with associated graphics cabinet and picture theater met the visitor on the second floor adjacent to the library. The year was 1978, during the previous 10 years the art gallery had its premises in the Baptist Church’s newly built office part on Järnagatan. Premises that were originally intended for a car park. A new inauguration took place in premises that were originally intended for an art gallery, with the exhibitions “Bruno Liljefors in the realm of the wild” and “Nature, animals and us”.

Art gallery manager Per Drougge writes in the catalog “When we chose to do an exhibition with Bruno Liljefors in connection with the inauguration of Södertälje municipality’s new art gallery and city library, the reasons were several. The idea originally came from Södertälje artist Lenny Clarhäll. We hereby thank him; perhaps the name Liljefors had been brought up for him during the work with the wooden sculpture group “Skogen” – a moose, a flute-playing boy and overturned fir trees – which now stands in its place in the new city library b The 70s interest in environment and nature has been both strong and broad movement, but our foremost animal and nature painter in the visual arts has not been included in this until the Linnaeus exhibition at Liljevalch’s art gallery during the past anniversary summer. The life and work of the artist Bruno Liljefors are undeniably linked to the cultural history of the Södertälje area. For more than a couple of decades he lived and worked here, /…./ ”. It can be assumed that several of the works shown had their motif circle from the area around Södertälje, Hölö-Mörkö, as according to Drougge it was a strong creative period for the artist. The art gallery displayed 55 oil paintings as well as 22 drawings and watercolors borrowed from private individuals and institutions. The majority from the Thiel Gallery, which has the most distinguished collection of Bruno Liljefors’ works.

In the context of Liljefors’ time, works by Carl Eldh, Albert Engström, David Tägtström and Anders Zorn were also shown.

In the second exhibition “Nature, animals and us”, current animal and nature painters were shown. Bruno Liljefors’ son Lindorm Liljefors, painter, illustrator and author, was one of the participating artists and describes his relationship with his father and art in his kind words. “From the boy corps strongly inspired by an infinitely good and understanding father, I have a burning interest in game and nature. Picturesquely, our Nordic landscape attracts me preferably in gray weather. In my animal drawings, I want to capture the movements of the animals. ” The exhibition also featured works by John Ahlgren, Bertil Almlöf, Allan Andersson, Göran Brunius, Gunnar Brusewitz, Ann-Margret Dahlqvist-Ljungberg, Stig Olsson, Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd.

Sources:

Quotes from the exhibition’s catalog: Per Drougge p. 6 Lindorm Liljefors page 54

Catalog: “In search of the time that has moved” -SÖDERTÄLJE KONSTHALL 50 YEARS FROM Kristina Möller’s introduction.