24 April 2015 – 7 June 2015
Signed: Signe von der Esch
Von der Esch’s portraits coincided with the Hallwyl family portraits that came to Stockholm in 1893. Walther von Hallwyl inherited them from his mother. In connection with the couple deciding to donate the house to the Swedish state, the couple chose that the family portrait should be returned to Switzerland. Then Julius Kronberg, one of the most famous artists of the late 1800s, was commissioned to copy the 51 portraits. The originals are in the Swiss National Museum in Zurich. The exhibition also featured portraits of the family painted by the artist Nils Asplund.
“Those who have desired to be portrayed by me have made contact directly with me. Sometimes I have lived at the client’s home for a while. This creates a special situation and one really gets to know the person to be portrayed. Painting portraits can be complicated. During the work process itself, I do at least two or three portrait studies before the finished portrait. I often take photographs to help.
