Gustaf Cederström's painting "Karl XII's funeral procession" from 1884 is one of the National Museum's most famous. When Ernst Billgren takes over the museum with the exhibition "New Memories", the painting is included – but in a "Billgrenesque" version.
At first glance, the two paintings do not seem to differ much, but in Billgren's paraphrase "Karl XII's aerial procession", the king's body floats towards the sky and the entire funeral procession has come to a standstill.
Why did you choose to interpret Cederström's super-classic image?
Because it's super-classic, replies Billgren.
Exhibition within an exhibition
The exhibition contains around 25 works, where Billgren playfully refers to classical painting. With "New Memories", Billgren wanted to evoke the idea of a provincial museum abroad, with dark and murky paintings, often with cracked varnish.
The exhibition is like an exhibition. It's like a set design, like a Czech provincial museum in the 1970s. It should feel a bit dusty and cracked, he says.
In addition to his own interpretations of works in the museum's collection, there are also new paintings that evoke landscape, animal, and still-life paintings from the Baroque period.
Having a clear premise for what he should paint is often a prerequisite for his work, Billgren believes. Starting from a template is an example of such a premise:
I like to create a premise for a situation, and then see what work comes out of that situation. But that doesn't mean I automatically paint well, because I'm not interested in that. There are other things that are much more fun, he says.
Personal memories
In four wooden display cases, built by Billgren himself, his own memorabilia are crowded. Photographs, tickets, mosaic tiles, and party invitations – memories that he normally stores in his own studio. Next to them hang two paintings, with motifs suspiciously similar to those of the Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Yes, I thought this museum didn't have a really good Bruegel. So I made two, just because they were needed, notes Billgren.
The fact that Billgren interprets beloved classics in the exhibition has already sparked some criticism. Billgren, however, is unperturbed:
I have very underdeveloped self-criticism. And I'm not a art critic myself. I only know that I have momentum when I do things, like when you're cycling. You should steer, you should keep your balance, you should pedal. But if you have momentum, then you can let go of the handlebars.
Born: 1957 in Danderyd.
Occupation: Artist, graphic artist, sculptor, writer, debater, and film and stage artist.
Background: Educated at Valand Academy of Fine Arts between 1982 and 1987. Elected member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1997.
Current: With the exhibition "Ernst Billgren – New Memories" at the National Museum in Stockholm 10/4–28/9.
