Gunnar Torhamn

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameJosef Gunnar•Torhamn (Olsson-)
Used nameGunnar•Torhamn
Born21 December 1894 in Torhamn, Karlskrona, Blekinge (SWE)
Died2 February 1965 in Stockholm, Stockholm (SWE)
NOC Sweden

Biography

Gunnar Torhamn was a Swedish church painter and sculptor born in Blekinge. Born under the name Olsson, he later adopted the name of his birthplace. Demonstrating artistic talent at an early age, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm (1918-21) and made study trips to France, Italy and North Africa (1923-28). Torhamn mainly produced altarpieces and wall paintings, with monumental figure compositions in strong colors for Swedish churches. Religious pieces represented the majority of his works. Part of his non-religious works were wall paintings and intarsia for the city’s swimming pool and Sports Palace in Stockholm. As a painter Torhamn preferred coastal scenes and landscapes with figures. His wife Hulda Ingegerd (1898-1994) was also an artist, and his son Urban Torhamn (1930-2010) became a well-known author. Gunnar Torhamn’s “Snowshoe Runner” was pictured in a 1942 issue of the “Olympic Review”.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1936 Summer Olympics Art Competitions SWE Gunnar Torhamn
Painting, Paintings, Open (Olympic) AC