About the work

Characterized by a unique combination of textured brushstrokes, loose washes, stark graphic lines, and evocative colors, Mamma Andersson’s works embody a new genre of painting that recalls late nineteenth-century romanticism while also embracing a contemporary interest in layered, psychological compositions. Her often-panoramic scenes draw inspiration from a wide range of archival photographic source materials, filmic imagery, theater sets, and period interiors, as well as the sparse topography of northern Sweden, where she grew up: mountainous backdrops, trees, snow, and wooden cabins are recurrent elements within her works. Yet, rather than conveying specific spatial or temporal reference points, they revolve around the expression of atmospheres and subjective moods, and frequently appear to merge the past, the present, and the future.

Date and country of birth

1962, SE

Career Highlights

In October 2023, a solo presentation of the artist’s work titled Adieu Maria Magdalena opened at David Zwirner, Paris, marking the artist’s fifth solo exhibition with the gallery. In 2022, the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Denmark, organized the two-person presentation Tal R & Mamma Andersson–About Hill, which traveled to the Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden, in 2023, and will be on view at Museum MORE, Gorssel, the Netherlands, starting November 2023. In 2021, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark, presented a solo exhibition of the artist’s work, Mamma Andersson: Humdrum Days. In 2018 to 2019, a solo presentation of Andersson’s work titled Memory Banks was on view at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. For the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo in 2018, Andersson curated the group presentation Stargazer II, which featured a number of the artist’s paintings

Work by the artist is represented in museum collections worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Dallas Museum of Art; Göteborgs Konstmuseum, Gothenburg, Sweden; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; Magasin III, Stockholm; Malmö Konstmuseum, Sweden; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Public Art Council, Stockholm; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Västerås Konstmuseum, Sweden.