GOTTHARD (GOTTE) GUSTAFSSON (1902-1950) VÄGEN GAR TILL SKANSEN. 1932. 36 1/4x27 1/4 inches, 92x69 1/4 cm. J. Olséns, Stockholm. Condition A- / A: small repaired tears at edges. Paper. Skansen was an open-air museum and zoo in Stockholm, founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to celebrate everyday life in the provinces of Sweden before the age of industrialism. Fearing that the idyllic days of rural life would be forgotten, Hazelius shipped 150 traditional houses in pieces to the museum grounds to be rebuilt there. "Within the capital, Skansen was quickly established as an excursion over the day, the obvious choice for a free Sunday. In a way, the founder Artur Hazelius changed the whole idea of the attraction by marketing it to the tourist. The concept is now so established that the word Skansen means open-air museum in several languages, including Polish" (Sweden p. 115). This poster by Gustafsson depicts part of a street of old shops in Skansen, and advertises the entrance, which was accessible by Funicular railway. The artist was an expert on medieval stone architecture and worked for the Nordic Museum in 1929 and for Skansen's cultural history department. He helped rebuild and preserve old buildings, and also used his artistic talents for book illustrations and covers as well as posters. In light of his career, it is ironic that his poster reflects such a modern, geometric style, when the subject he was advertising was the antithesis of Modernism. Sweden 98.
