Oyvind Fahlstrom Biography
Oyvind Fahlstrom (1928 - 1976) was a Swedish artist known for his esoteric approach to exploring semiotics through visual systems. Often using mysterious symbols and texts, Fahlström created works intended to suggest epic narratives, as seen in his Sketch for World Map Part 1 (Americas, Pacific) (1972). Born in 1928 in São Paulo, Brazil, to Swedish and Norwegian parents, Fahlström was sent to Stockholm at the age of 10. Due to the start of World War II, he remained in Sweden to complete his secondary education. He became a Swedish citizen and continued to study classics and art history at Stockholm University. As a young man he began writing for Swedish publications and produced poetry, plays, translations and works of art. In 1961 the artist moved to New York, which was his primary residence for the rest of his life. Living in the same building as Jasper Johns, Fahlström's artistic output increased with his association with American avant-garde artists. He participated in Happenings, exhibited his work at the 1964 and 1966 Venice Biennales, and continued to write plays. The artist died on November 9, 1978 in Stockholm, Sweden. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.
