BROWN & BLACK Size: 65.6 x 74.5 cm (including frame) Oil on Board A striking original mid-century modernist composition, painted onto board and dated 1968 by the established Swedish artist Gunnar Hållander (1915-1980), whose artworks have been represented in public collections including the National Museum and Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Sundsvall Museum, and the Institut Tessinin in Paris. A group of mostly unidentifiable objects in a very restrained palette sit against a grey background. This still life leans towards abstraction, with the artist focusing on the forms of the objects and how the elements interact with one another. There is an invisible tension between the objects, as they push and pull against one another. However, there is a very balanced rhythm through the picture, encouraging us viewers to weave our view in and out, up and down and around the composition to explore the form of each object. The artist uses a restrained palette – the picture is almost monochrome, except for the pops of orange and pink, which draws our eyes to the centre of the picture. There is a wonderful depth to the composition, as well as a very satisfying matte finish to the overall surface. This original oil on board is wonderfully presented in a distressed frame with an inner linen border. The painting is in excellent vintage condition, and the frame has slight wear but this suits its overall distressed style.