Arvid Nyholm
Encyclopedia
Arvid Frederick Nyholm was a Swedish-American artist, known primarily as a portrait and landscape painter.
, Sweden. His father, Karl Fredrik Nyholm, was also a printer. In 1886, he graduated from Södra Real-läroverket in Stockholm. He initially studied architecture at the Royal Technical School (Swedish: kungliga tekniska högskolan) from 1886-1887. He studied privately with the well-known Swedish artist, Anders Zorn
. He also was a student at the Académie Colarossi
in Paris
. He was a student of theatre painting briefly at the Royal Academy (Swedish: kungliga konstakademin) in Stockholm from 1889 to 1891.
in 1903, where he was based for the remainder of his life. He entered 30 annual exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago
between 1904 and 1926. One of the founders of the Swedish Artists Association in 1905, he exhibited with this group and in their subsequent exhibitions until his death.
Anders Zorn, his former teacher in Sweden, often turned portrait commissions his way. He secured commissions for the portrait of Minnesota governor Adolph Olson Eberhart
(1914) hanging in the Minnesota State Capitol
building, and of Swedish-born engineer, John Ericsson
, now in the National Portrait Gallery
, Washington D.C.
His works were shown in numerous other museums and galleries, mostly in the Chicago area. His painting, "The Evening Circle" won first prize at the exhibition of Swedish-American artists in Chicago in 1912. He exhibited in Sweden at the 1920 Swedish-American exhibition in Stockholm and the Gothenburg
exhibition of 1923. He received many awards and honors during the course of his career including the Municipal Art League Portrait Prize in 1915 and 1924, the Chicago Popular Prize in 1919, the Popular Prize at the Swedish American Art Association in 1919 and the Chicago Galleries Association in 1927.
His works are held by a variety of institutions including the West Point Academy, the National Portrait Gallery
, the Smithsonian Institution
, the Iowa State Historical Society and the Wright Museum of Art
at Beloit College
.
Background
Arvid Frederick Nyholm was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden. His father, Karl Fredrik Nyholm, was also a printer. In 1886, he graduated from Södra Real-läroverket in Stockholm. He initially studied architecture at the Royal Technical School (Swedish: kungliga tekniska högskolan) from 1886-1887. He studied privately with the well-known Swedish artist, Anders Zorn
Anders Zorn
Anders Leonard Zorn was one of Sweden’s foremost artists who obtained international success as a painter, sculptor and printmaker in etching.-Biography:...
. He also was a student at the Académie Colarossi
Académie Colarossi
The Académie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. First located on the Île de la Cité, it moved in the 1870s to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was a student of theatre painting briefly at the Royal Academy (Swedish: kungliga konstakademin) in Stockholm from 1889 to 1891.
Career
He immigrated to New York, United States, in the autumn of 1891. He exhibited work in both the New York Watercolor Society exhibitions and at the National Academy of Design. He eventually settled in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1903, where he was based for the remainder of his life. He entered 30 annual exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
between 1904 and 1926. One of the founders of the Swedish Artists Association in 1905, he exhibited with this group and in their subsequent exhibitions until his death.
Anders Zorn, his former teacher in Sweden, often turned portrait commissions his way. He secured commissions for the portrait of Minnesota governor Adolph Olson Eberhart
Adolph Olson Eberhart
Adolph Olson Eberhart was an American politician, who served as the 17th Governor of Minnesota.-Background:...
(1914) hanging in the Minnesota State Capitol
Minnesota State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
building, and of Swedish-born engineer, John Ericsson
John Ericsson
John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...
, now in the National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery (United States)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans.-Building:...
, Washington D.C.
His works were shown in numerous other museums and galleries, mostly in the Chicago area. His painting, "The Evening Circle" won first prize at the exhibition of Swedish-American artists in Chicago in 1912. He exhibited in Sweden at the 1920 Swedish-American exhibition in Stockholm and the Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
exhibition of 1923. He received many awards and honors during the course of his career including the Municipal Art League Portrait Prize in 1915 and 1924, the Chicago Popular Prize in 1919, the Popular Prize at the Swedish American Art Association in 1919 and the Chicago Galleries Association in 1927.
His works are held by a variety of institutions including the West Point Academy, the National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery (United States)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans.-Building:...
, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, the Iowa State Historical Society and the Wright Museum of Art
Wright Museum of Art
The Wright Museum of Art is a small art museum maintained and operated by Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. It houses a collection of approximately 6,000 objects, has five gallery spaces, and provides training for undergraduate students in museum studies. The building is also home to the...
at Beloit College
Beloit College
Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
.
Personal life
Nyholm was married in 1887 in Stockholm to Amelia Josephina Grönander with whom he had five children. His daughter, Gretta Nyholm, was also a Chicago artist. He died in Chicago.Other sources
- Olson, Ernst W. ed. History of the Swedes of Illinois (Chicago: Engberg-Holmberg Publishing Company, 1908)
- Olson, Ernst W. The Swedish Element in Illinois: Survey of the Past Seven Decades (Chicago, IL: Swedish-American Biographical Association, 1917)
- Haugan, Reidar Rye Prominent Artists and Exhibits of Their Work in Chicago (Chicago Norske Klub. Nordmanns-Forbundet, 24: 371—374,Volume 7, 1933)
- Kirn, Mary Em and Sherry Case Maurer, eds. Härute—Out Here : Swedish Immigrant Artists In Midwest America (Rock Island, Illinois: Augustana College, 1984)
- Gerdts, William. Art Across America. Vol. 2 (New York, NY: Abbeville Press, 1990)