The grand opening was the talk of the town, and Stockholm’s famous socialites, photographers, and champagne were all present. The evening was made even more glamorous with the presence of the renowned artist, Margareta Sjödin. Sjödin’s artistic journey began after a successful career in theatre, TV and film, including a role as the wise cat mother Duchess in Aristocats. She later moved to the USA, where she devoted all her time to painting and sculpture and held exhibitions worldwide. Margareta has since returned to Sweden, where she continues to express herself through her art. The exhibition is open until May 27 at So Foto Gallery, Skånegatan 81, Södermalm, Stockholm, open Mondays to Thursdays 12-18.00 / Fridays to Saturdays 12-16.00
Official text from the exhibition:
Margareta’s involvement in and contributions to the arts have spanned many years and several careers. Margareta was born in Härnösand in the north of Sweden. She demonstrated an affinity for the arts at a very young age. Margareta became fascinated with classic ballet after a visit from a dancer from Stockholm, and began studying at the only school in her hometown. Though passionate about dance, which she continued to practice throughout her career, Margareta found special satisfaction in the visual arts. Margareta’s first experience with color was at her grandmother’s house. She fondly remembers how she gave her buttons that turned to color with water.
From that day on she was painting with watercolor whenever she could. She began with impressionistic landscapes and portraits, finding it natural to paint all that surrounded her. During the summers she lived in Nordingrå in Northern Sweden, She would watch artists Olle Nordberg and Pelle Åberg with their easels painting outside, which she found to be a great inspiration to her. During the wintertime, Margareta would let the snow fall onto her paintings as she worked.
After high school she studied at the Härnösand Institute of Education. After completing her studies the big city beckoned and Margareta began teaching grade school in Stockholm. Although she greatly enjoyed teaching, she increasingly longed to reach an audience beyond the classroom. She began to study theater in the evenings and began auditioning at the same time. Roles in TV and theater, as well as work as a model, led Margareta to take the plunge and step away from the security of her teaching job. Her career as an actress took off, with high points being her role in “Partaj”, the voice for several Disney films, and studying with Lee Strassberg in LA. However, throughout this period, Margareta continued to study and practice her first love, that of the visual arts. She studied with several different teachers in drawing, painting and sculpture. Notable was a year spent at the Otis Parsons College taking classes from the Japanese painter Matsumi Kanemitsu, a great inspiration to her.
Also of significance were her studies with Keith Finch, developer of an important teaching method that Margareta uses herself today as she leads classes in painting, monotype, and collagraphy. She has shown her art internationally over the past 30 years and continues to date. Margareta calls both Sweden and the United States her home, though currently spending most of her time in Stockhom. She has three daughters, all grown up and artists in their own right. Manna is a visual and conceptual artist (www.hannahellsten.com), Emma is a singer-songwriter (www.jedandlucia.com) and Josefina has a clothing store in Stockholm (www.bazouera.se)
