This remarkable etching by Swedish illustrator, Stig Asberg (1909-1968), depicts the artist’s wife Lisa Asberg (1913-2013).

She’s wearing a large throw and fur hat, undoubtedly cosy. Asberg produced a rich oeuvre of work that often balanced fantasy and sobriety in equal measure.

His imagination was relentless and underpinned by a childlike curiosity coupled with a sense of something darker.

Here, in this rare portrait, we see the two sides of his character colliding once again. She’s in repose, warm, at rest. Yet there’s another quality, something rippling under the surface that’s less tangible.

Signed lower right and framed.

Learn more about Stig Asberg in our directory.

Medium: Etching on paper
Overall size: 17½” x 21½” / 44cm x 55cm
Year of creation: 1939
Condition: Artwork presents well.