Rune Hagberg

Rune Hagberg was born 1924, in Uppsala, Sweden. Active in Härnösand, Sweden until his death in 2015.

In Hagberg’s artistic work there is a persistent and consistent exploration of silence and introspection. In his practice he approached these conditions through a number of techniques rooted in painting and drawing. Deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism and the calligraphic currents of his time, he worked in the 1950s using ink on paper in large-scale works. Hagberg, who was an autodidact, was active in the Scandinavian art movement referred to as spontanismen. The actual execution, especially the random way in which the paint and ink took shape on the paper, was an important part of the creation of the works. Over time Hagberg’s practice came to focus on a gradual dissolving of the surface, a sort of elimination of the sheet of paper, as if to approach the idea of nothingness. This investigation later found expression in sculptural objects.

Hagberg’s work has been exhibited in both Sweden and internationally, and he is represented in numerous collections, such as Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art, Stockholm; Modern Museum, Stockholm and Göteborgs Konstmuseum.