Asta Holmberg. “Kammarjungfru från Småland”, 1920’s

Asta Holmberg (1900-1982). “Kammarjungfru från Småland”, oil on board, signed. 62.5 x 55 (80.5x72.5) cm.

Asta Holmberg (25 December 1900 — 1982) was a Swedish painter known for her portraits, landscapes and illustrations. She was born in Maglehem in Skåne as the daughter of sailor Gustav Samuel Holmberg and Kristine Hallgren.

Holmberg began her art education at a private painting school but then transferred to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, where she studied from 1921 to 1927. Her education was supplemented by study trips to Paris where she attended Maison Watteau, England and Italy, where she further deepened her knowledge and influences.

Holmberg held his first solo exhibition at Norrköping Art Museum in 1928 and followed up with a new exhibition there in 1936. She also participated in exhibitions organized by Östgöta Konstforening, the Swedish General Art Association and Skånes kunstforening. Among her public works, an altarpiece for Humla church is noticeable.

The auction's portrait entitled “Kammarjungfrun från Småland” depicts a sharp-sighted woman dressed in blue and white. Her gaze steadily meets the viewer and is difficult to let go. Her entire torso is in focus with confident brushstrokes, pronounced and definitive there. But behind her it becomes more and more free and the walls have a life of their own, alternately diffused, at times almost graffiti-like. The play between the focus and the sketchy creates a captivating whole as well as an excellent modern portrait.