Swede Gustaf Nordahl won the gold medal in the Art Competitions at the 1948 London Olympic Games in the category Sculpturing, Statues, with his work Hyllning till Ling (Homage to Ling). The bronze sculpture earned him the first prize in a competition for the Gymnastiska Central Institute in Stockholm in 1943. Pehr Henrik Ling (1776-1839) is known as the father of Swedish gymnastics. The sculpture can still be seen outside the Gymnastics and Sports University next to the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, where it was inaugurated in 1949. Nordahl studied at the Higher School of Art and Crafts in Stockholm from 1923-25, and later at the Art Academy in Stockholm from 1928-34, under both Carl Milles and Nils Sjögren. In 1936-37, thanks to a travel grant, Nordahl made a number of study trips to various European countries including Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark. Beginning in 1949, he was a member of the Art Academy and the State Art Council. His bronze and stone sculptures were rather naturalistic in a classicist style. Nordahl’s works are still seen in many public places in Swedish cities.
Sweden