Anders Zorn (1860-1920) was quite the artist. Zorn, from Sweden, was a contemporary of John Singer Sargent. He traveled extensively throughout Europe and the United States, achieving international success as one of the most celebrated portrait painters of his era. With his ability to capture the individual characteristics of his sitters, he went on to paint three American presidents: Grover Cleveland, William H. Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Recently, I came upon the book Anders Zorn: Sweden's Master Painter, which is shown above with its front and back covers featuring two of his watercolors. I had not realized Zorn was such an accomplished watercolor painter.
The watercolor on the back of the book, Summer Vacation, was painted in 1886, one hundred and twenty-three years ago. It is painted on a full sheet, which I thought was uncommon for the time. In addition, I understand it is the priciest Swedish painting ever sold. It sold for 26 million Swedish Krona in 2010 (about 3.7 million U.S. dollars, I believe). And this is for a watercolor, not an oil.
Cederlund, Johan, et al. Anders Zorn, Sweden's Master Painter. Forward by Colin B. Bailey, Rizzoli Electra (with Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), 2013.
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