Swedish painter Carl Mikael Gunne studied law in Uppsala. In his early youth, he had been a student of painter Helmer Osslund but was largely self-taught as an artist. For a short time, he served as attaché at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1921, he joined the National Museum as a teaching assistant, whose collection of modern paintings and sculptures he later headed (1932-37). In 1923-24 he held the position as secretary of the “Board for supporting the artistic activity in Sweden”. He painted mainly city views of Stockholm and Uppsala, as well as landscapes from places in France, Italy, Spain and Holland, but he also painted portraits of famous personalities. His first exhibition was at Stockholm in 1913. Gunne belonged to a group of artists that was later called “Optimists”. For many years, he travelled to France annually, and was influenced by the art movements there, such as Neorealism and Classicism. Gunne was a participant in the art competitions at the 1936 Olympic Games and concentrated on painting from 1937. At times he used the pseudonym Carl Mikael Olsson.
Sweden