Dick Bengtsson

With his enigmatic paintings Dick Bengtsson (1936–1989) has fascinated and troubled generations of audiences ever since the 1960s. 25 years have gone by since Moderna Museet featured his works in a major exhibition in 1983. His works are as intriguing and spell-binding as ever. Together with Öyvind Fahlström, Dick Bengtsson is one of the few artists of his generation who have ventured onto the international art scene in recent years.

Few Swedish 20th century artists have the same capacity as Dick Bengtsson to evoke a sense of vibrancy and urgency, and to constantly arouse the feeling that they are saying something crucial. Despite the accessibility of his paintings, they refuse to be deciphered. They often portray buildings; these are no idyllic abodes, however, but authoritarian, impenetrable entities. One of the more surprising features of Dick Bengtsson’s oeuvre is his use of swastikas. Without comment they appear as though glued onto the paintings. What did he mean? In view of the dystopian landscapes, and especially, perhaps, in view of his own “destruction” of the works which gave them a raw, scarred surface, we discern a deep distrust against idylls, good intentions and salvation.

Curator: Mårten Castenfors

Pressetext

Dick Bengtsson
Kurator: Marten Castenfors