ULLA AND GUSTAV KRAITZ
by Göran ChristensonUlla and Gustav Kraitz are two artists who have worked together for over 60 years. Ulla is a painter and Gustav a sculptor, with different backgrounds and temperaments.
Together, the interplay of their creative minds forms a unique artistic partnership. Over the years, they have had exhibitions in both Sweden and abroad, with works featuring prominently in museums, private collections and public places. For example, the Raoul Wallenberg monument ‘Hope’ outside the UN building, the play sculpture on Roosevelt Island, the benches at Columbus Circle are all works by the Kraitzes that can be found in New York. Some of their most significant works in Sweden are ‘Kattarakt’ at Södertull in Malmö, a statue of Birgit Nilsson in Båstad, ‘Kudde’ in Vasaparken in Stock- holm and a Wallenberg monument outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm.
Geometric shapes that help structure life, such as cubes, spheres and cylinders, are used in their art works and are juxtaposed with soft, organic shapes. These are ascetic in their form, while life-like elements with a connection to nature seem more archaic, expressing universal themes that capture the essence of the many events of life.
The works are technically perfected using an ancient Chinese firing method and glazing, which gives the works an enhanced lustre and beauty. The Kraitzes are artists who are rooted in the present, but whose artistic expression is timeless.