“I have done a lot of photography for the Nobel Prizes, and this included the ceremony when they hand out the prizes and the concert in December, although it is not a full-time job,” Elmehed added.Īs photography and paintings have many similarities, Elmehed also points out the differences in artistic freedoms that both art forms provide. His talents don’t just end there, as Elmehed is also a photographer. In addition to painting, the Swedish artist likes to do consultancy work, motion graphics, design, and graphic design, as well as the animation work for the men’s and women’s Swedish national football teams. “The best thing as an artist is that I choose whatever I like to do, and it is the ultimate freedom,” Elmehed said, “If I like to paint a flower I do that, this portrait or this cartoon I do that, but of course, you have to choose something people will buy, and it is then the freedom will slowly disappear.” He said that the background in technology academia helped him in his career as an artist.
However, after a year, he felt fed up with this choice, and that “this was not what I like to do – this is not me.” He returned to painting, and decided to give this career path a chance.Įlmehed studied at the Royal Institute of Art, in parallel with studying at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He chose at first to study science, as this was a safer (and more stable) way to find a job. He paints the portraits using a mixture of gold foil and black vinyl paint, to create simple yet detailed renditions of those who, in the previous year, “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,” in Alfred Nobel’s own words.Įlmehed sat down with Daily News Egypt to delve deeper into his paintings for the Nobel Prize, his career path, and other art projects.Īs a child, Elmehed used to paint all the time, but did not think that he would ever become an artist. The Swedish artist was, in 2012, employed as an art director for the Nobel Media, before going freelance after 18 months.Īlongside their display in the Nobel Prize Museum, Elmehed’s portraits are digitalised and published on the Nobel Prize’s digital channels, released in conjunction with the announcements of each prize’s winner or winners. Over two weeks every October, his portraits are circulated on social media and many international news platforms. These stunningly exquisite portraits are drawn by Niklas Elmehed, who has been the official portrait artist for the Nobel Prize since 2012. Uncovering the hidden painting will help “shed new light” on the artist, NGS added, noting that it was likely made during a formative part of his career.The unique gold-leaf portraits of the Nobel Laureates have gained widespread worldwide acclaim over the past few years, alongside achieving global fame for the prize winners. Any attempt to remove the glue and cardboard will “require delicate conservation work” and research is ongoing to figure out how this can be done without harming “Head of a Peasant Woman,” NGS said. NGS experts are not sure what condition the portrait is in or whether it can be safely uncovered. Infrared imaging, for example, has unveiled other work hiding underneath paintings like the Mona Lisa and Botticelli's “ Man of Sorrows.” What To Watch ForĬonservation efforts to remove the self-portrait.
As well as helping experts preserve or authenticate artwork, it also enables more of these discoveries to be made. Advances in science and technology and improved conservation methods have opened up new ways for experts to interrogate artwork without damaging it.
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They are not unheard of, however, and the newly-discovered Van Gogh self-portrait joins a series of similar works by the Dutch artist found on the backs of other canvases, including five on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Discoveries like this are “incredibly rare” and happen maybe once or twice in a conservator’s lifetime, said Frances Fowle, senior curator at NGS.
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