Karin Larsson (1859-1928)

Seven summers in a row I have come to visit a remarkable, pretty and original home at the shores of a lake in Sundborn… Sundborn is a village in the outskirts of the Swedish town Falun.

The young artist Karin Bergöö, daughter of a merchant and educated at the art academies of both Stockholm and Paris, married the painter Carl Larsson in 1883. Carl Larsson has later become a world famous name and his pictures and motifs are

known far and wide. Karin gave birth to eight children and for many years the growing family lived at Lilla Hyttnäs in the countryside of Sundborn in Dalecarlia. What few people today know is that the painter Karin had to end her career in order to prevent competing with her husband Carl. What more people know is that she turned to textile instead as her new artistic expression. With her Spartan and abstract forms in both tapestry and embroidery she became the front figure of original and experimental textile art in Sweden. Karin was also a name to recognize in the field of design of furniture and interior environments. In 1997 she finally reached fame abroad through the great exhibition "Carl and Karin Larsson" in London. Visit the homepages of the Carl Larsson estate and read more (also in English) about this woman and her art. Visit their home in Sweden. It's open during the summer. On the door to Lilla Hyttnäs Carl once painted: Välkommen kära du, till Carl Larsson och hans fru. ("Welcome dear friend to Carl Larsson and his wife.")

© Quilteposten 2008