” I paint the whole world !”
Ulrica Hydman Vallien
Since her breakthrough as a glass artist in the 80s , Ulrica Hydman Vallien has been one of Sweden ’ s most beloved artists . Her bold , personal , free , uncontrollably visual style became known beyond art audiences , and far beyond the borders of Sweden .
After her sudden death in 2018 , Ulrica Hydman Vallien has received greater recognition among fine art circles , which had at times been critical of her during her lifetime .
The acclaimed exhibition , A Paradise Attack , held at Liljevalchs , Stockholm ( Sweden ’ s first independent and public art gallery for contemporary art ), in 2020 , and the eponymous documentary on Swedish television , featured the breadth , richness and unlimited imagination of her artistry . In addition to being a glass artist and designer , Ulrica was also an incredible painter , ceramic artist , textile artist and visual poet .
After her death and the retrospective at Liljevalchs , Hydman Vallien also gained broader recognition as the great source of inspiration she was , especially among younger female artists . As such , her work is also stirring increasing international interest . We want to feature this characteristic with our tribute collection in her honor and with the Ulrica Hydman Vallien scholarship .
Ulrica Hydman Vallien was born and raised in Stockholm in a family with significant interest in the arts , and from which three of the five siblings attended Konstfack ( University of Arts , Crafts and Design ,
Stockholm , Sweden ) including Ulrica . One of her teachers there was Stig Lindberg , who became a major source of inspiration . She also met her husband , Bertil Vallien , at the university . Together , after graduating , they began their artistic careers as radical ceramic artists in the US , traveling around the United States and Mexico on artistic field trips .
When Bertil Vallien was offered a position as an artist at the Åfors Glassworks in 1963 , the couple moved to Småland . In the studio in Åfors , they worked side by side for half a century .
For Kosta Boda , Ulrica Hydman Vallien is of invaluable importance both as a person and as an artist . Ulrica ’ s artistic legacy lives on , cared for and developed by younger generations of artists and craftspeople in Kosta Boda ’ s studios and hot shops . Long live Ulrica !
Ulrika Hydman Vallien ’ s art is represented in collections at institutions such as Moderna Museet and Nationalmuseum in Stockholm , the Gothenburg Museum of Art , Röhsska Museum , Victoria and Albert Museum in London and many more .
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