A vibrant, abstract landscape painting with bold brushstrokes. It features a river flowing between colorful cliffs, primarily in shades of orange, purple, and blue, with abstract tree shapes on the left.
Experience / Exhibitions / Birger Sandzen

Birger Sandzen

Distant Horizons

Joining The Morning Dip on ASI’s campus this summer are select works from Swedish-American landscape painter and printmaker Birger Sandzén.

This display of Sandzén work will feature prints of the natural world, including works recently acquired into the ASI Collection through the generous donation of Dr. James Kaplan. Born in Blidsberg, Sweden, Birger Sandzén (1871-1954) was a prolific painter and printmaker, completing more than 2600 oil paintings, 500 watercolors, and hundreds of lithographs, block prints, and drypoints, during his lifetime. Sandzén studied art in Stockholm alongside Anders Zorn and Richard Berg, and in Paris with Edmond François Aman-Jean, before moving to Lindsborg, Kansas to teach languages, art, and music departments of Bethany College. His work was exhibited widely throughout the United States and in Sweden during his career. ASI is among a group of worldwide museums who are fortunate to have Sandzén’s exceptional work among their collections, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, the Chicago Art Institute, the Denver Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Stockholm.

A vibrant impressionist painting featuring a solitary, lush green tree with red and orange accents. It stands beside a reflective body of water, under a pink, blue, and purple sky, with mountains in the background. Brush strokes are bold and textured.
An impressionist painting of a mountain landscape featuring sweeping, colorful brushstrokes. The scene includes a prominent mountain with patches of green, purple, and orange, under a cloudy sky. The foreground has abstract shapes and hints of vegetation.
A colorful landscape painting depicts a mountainous scene with vibrant blues and purples, set against a dramatic sky with shades of pink, orange, and yellow. Tall trees silhouette against the sky, creating a serene and vivid depiction of nature.
Colorful landscape painting depicting tall, jagged orange cliffs reflecting in calm water under a vibrant pink and purple sky. A small pine tree grows on a rocky outcrop in the foreground, with a setting sun in the background.

Exhibition Supporters

Birger Sandzén: Distant Horizons is produced by the American Swedish Institute. The exhibition is presented with support from ASI’s members and donors. This display of Sandzén work will feature prints of the natural world, including works recently acquired into the ASI Collection through the generous donation of Dr. James Kaplan.

Logo with colorful vertical stripes showing nature and arts symbols, including reeds, a musical note, trees, and water. Text reads Clean Water Land & Legacy Minnesota Amendment State Arts Board in various colors.