C O (Carl Otto) Hultén
Exhibitions
Publications
Also previous exhibitions at Galerie Bel'Art: 1987 and 1989.
BIOGRAPHY - CV
C O (Carl Otto) Hultén is born in 1916 in Malmö, and starts painting in 1935, starts the group Minotaur in 1942, which later becomes the fundament for Imaginisterna around 1945. This group later becomes part of Cobra.
CO Hultén's art do not only reflect The North, it is in it's deepest substance one with the North. By this i have said almost everything about him.
He travels from time to time outside Scandinavia, to seek the postman Chevals castle in France, to meet an African fetish or an Serbian peasant. But he mostly travels from the North to the North. He participated in the Nordic group Cobra, which instead of collecting vegetables, united roots.
Cobra was a promise, and Hultén meets this promise.
Under the Cobra period 1948-1951 our friend C O played with the technique, most of all he invented 'imprimaget' , he limited and dug out his domain before he absorbed in it. Other painters in Cobra went through a similar development for instance the Dutchman Appel and the Belgian Alechinsky.
He discovered that The North is not just a fable and neither just reality, but both fable and reality, and that the artistic way of expression is not just a mean but also a universe. Is cloth and paper allready the sky? Is the colour not allready a soil? Is ink a river - or a night? The trouble was in this way to get substance of the universal art to coincide with the Nordic reality-fable. How did Hultén succeed with this. Through a rare spontaneity, a seeking sponatneity that moves with thousands of various speeds, and looks like the Nordic way of thinking towards the language, while people from the south thinks from the language.
The spontaneity that interests us is not the dashing elegance, but the strength that first swallows the technique and then bites. The fundamental reality-fable at Hultén appear to be the night, the night that despite the furniture factories is the most important speciality in Scandinavia, the night from where the light has to be pulled out in an endless love dispute.
The North itself is a boundless drawing or rather a boundless engraving, which portray the birth of the night, life and death, from the icy beach to the spring forrest, from a village of small flakes, to a city of great lines, from a river full of stars to a sky full of lakes, from the dimness of midday, to the midnight sun. In the south the darkness and light changes with harmonious equality. In the North they fight, love each other and parts just to be mixed together again, from here to eternity.
Hulténs works shows this story and this geography, these meetings, and these mixtures, and I most of all think of a new litograph, where you see the light explode the night without supressing it. Without supressing the night, without covering the changing excited, violent and vivid travel from night against light and without supressing the jump of spontanity, scratches and cracks towards the work.
Hulténs art is cosmic that is why it is sincere.
Christian Dotremont, 1962
1936 Employed at Åkerlund & Rausing in Lund.
1938 Exhibition in his own studio.
1940 Exhibition in his own studio.
1943 Minotaur in the month of March, at the Town Hall in Malmö,
together with Max Walter Svanberg, Endre Nemes,
Adja Yunkers and Carl O Svensson.
1944 The conception of imaginism – imaginist, was coined
by Stig Lindqvist.
1945 The Imaginist group, together with Max Walter Svanberg
and Anders Österlin was formed.
1945 Marries Marianne Nilsson.
1947 Drömmar ur bladens händer, and Image publishing
was founded.
1947 Travels to Paris, together with Anders Österlin, visit
Palais Idéal.
1947 Gösta Kriland and Gudrun Åhlberg joins the Imaginist group.
1948 Exhibition at Skånes Art Association and Malmö Museum.
1948 One-man exhibition “Aura”, at Krognoshuset, Lund.
1948 -51 Joins the COBRA group.
1949 Motorbike journey to Andorra revisits Palais Idéal.
1949 COBRA – conference in Bregnerd north of Copenhagen.
Collaboration with fellow COBRA painters. Loft paintings.
1949 Expo Aleby in Stockholm, arranged by Gösta Kriland
and Wilhelm Freddie.
1949 Skånsk avantgardekonst in Malmö museum, with
Bertil Gadö , Lars Engström, Bengt Orup, Anders Österlin
and Max Walter Svanberg.
1949 God konst in Gothenburg, with Max Walter Svanberg.
1949 Participates in the exhibition Spiralen at
Charlottenborg, Copenhagen.
1949 All världens konst, group exhibition, at
Åkerlund & Rausing, Lund.
1950 Together with the COBRA-group at Le Louvier, Belgium.
1950 Stops working at Åkerlund & Rausing.
1951 Travels with Marianne to Spain.
1951 The Imaginist’s exhibits at Modern konst i hemmiljö,
Stockholm.
1951 Exhibition at Skåne Art Society, Malmö.
1951 Executes together with Svanberg and Österlin mural
paintings at Radiotjänst, Malmö.
1951 Nutida svensk grafik, at the National museum, Stockholm.
1952 Det unga måleriet, Galerie Blanche, Stockholm.
1952 Travels to Yugoslavia.
1952 The Imaginist’s exhibits at Malmö museum and
Gothenburg Art Hall, with Victor Brauner, Wilfredo Lam,
Carl Henning Pedersen and Zao Wu Ki.
1953 Ib Hultén is born.
1953 Participates in an exhibition with Skånsk grafik in
Branner’s Bibliophile bookstore, Copehnhegen.
1953 The Imaginist’s exhibits at Galerie de Babylon in Paris,
the exhibition continues to Il Nunero, Florence.
1954 Travel to Yugoslavia and Turkey with Stig Andersson.
1954 The Imaginist’s exhibits at Skånska Art Museum, Malmö.
1954 Bertil Lundberg joins the Imaginist Group.
1956 Galerie Colibri and the periodical Salamander.
1955 Participates in March, with Ung grafik, at Kulturen, Lund.
1955 Participates in Première confrontation d’art experimental, Paris.
1955 Participates in Paroles Visibles at Galerie La Roue, Paris.
1955 Participates in Phases at Galerie Proteo, Mexico City.
1955 Paintings in the doorways of the neighborhood
Godheten, Malmö.
1955 Mural mosaic on the façade of the Institute for
Color Prints, Lund.
1956 Divorce from Marianne.
1956 Proposals for the stairwell in Malmö’s town library,
Dikten formar verkligheten, and proposals for a gable painting
in Lund, Konst vid källan.
1956 Awarded the Trotzig – scholarship.
1956 Proposals for the adornment of the subway station
Centralen, Stockholm.
1956 The Imaginist Group is dissolved.
1956-57 Teaches at the Essem School in Malmö.
1957 Participates in an International traveling exhibition in
Bukunin, Tokyo and Osaka.
1957 Participates in Svensk Nutidskonst, in the newly
opened Lunds Konsthall..
1957 Proposal for mobile-light-sculpture for the
Domus department store, Malmö.
1958 Nordisk abstract kunst, Kunstnerernes Hus, Oslo.
1958 One-man show, Gummesons, Stockholm.
1958 One-man show, Malmö Museum.
1958 Winkel & Magnusen, Gammel Strand, Copenhagen.
1958 Mural painting, Malmö stadium.
1958 Is being awarded the Emil Breg scholarship.
1959 One-man show, Norrköping Konstmuseum and the
Konsthallen in Gothenburg.
1959 Mural Samlade grupper, for the new County building, in Lund.
1959 Participates in Återblick, at Moderna Museet, Stockholm.
1959 Borås Art Association’s 25th- anniversary, Borås Museum.
1959 Nordisk kunst, arranged by Nordiska Art Association,
Odense, Denmark.
1959 Participates in the exhibition of Skandinavisk konst,
Lima, Peru.
1960 Enamel made for Lund municipality.
1960 Kunstnerernes Kunsthandel in Copenhagen.
1960 Participates in Eurokonst, at the Art Academy in Copenhagen.
1960 Moderna Museet, visits Louisiana, Denmark.
1961 Marries Birgitta Stenberg.
1961 The Pittsburgh International, USA.
1961 Le Ranelagh, in Paris together with amongst others,
Fahlström, Reuterswärd and Österlin.
1961 Participates in Internationale Malerei, Wolframs
Eschenbach, Germany.
1961 L’Art Suédois Actuel, Paris. Together with, among others
Reuterswärd, Fahlström and Österlin.
1961 8 emaljemålare, a traveling exhibition.
1961 Together with Jørgen Haugen Sørensen, in the
SDS-Hall, Malmö.
1961 Participates in Aspect 61, at Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm.
1961 Makes a movie about Palais Idéal.
1962 Galerie Leger, Malmö.
1962 COBRA et après, Galerie d’Aujourd’hui, Brussels.
1962-63 Traveling exhibition, USA, 12 Swedish Painters.
1962 Aktiv färg, Konsthallen, Lund..
1963 Galerie Pierre, Stockholm.
1963 Nordisk konst 1953-63, arranged by the Nordic Art
Association, Helsinki.
1963 Participates in an exhibition at Den Frie, Copenhagen.
1963 African sculptures on show, among others from CO Hultén’s
collection, at Lunds konsthall.
1963 Graphica, at Kulturen in Lund – CO Hultén is awarded
the first prize.
1964 Gummesons, Stockholm.
1964 Svenskt 60-tal, Norrköping Konstmuseum.
1966 With Birgitta Stenberg Hultén, adornment of Rosengård.
1965 Le merveilleux moderne/Det underbara moderna,
Lunds konsthall.
1965 Participates in Images Suédoises, Images of Sweden,
Schwedische Bilder, Gröningen, Helsingborg.
1965 Authors choose art, Stockholm (Lars Forssell chose,
Jorden är ett rum, by Hultén).
1965 Ung mästarkonst, Skånska Konstmuseet, Lund.
1965 Enamel painting for the Pilevall School, Trelleborg.
1965 Proposal for gable painting in enamel, Mersch, Luxemburg.
1965 Galleri Leger’s summer exhibition, Malmö.
1966 Tre linjer i svenskt måleri, 1916-1966, Sveagalleriet,
Stockholm, curator Rolf Söderberg.
1966 COBRA-exhibition, Louisiana.
1966 Participates in Tekst og tegn, Copenhagen.
1967 Imaginisterna, Skånska Konstmuseum.
1967 Människa nu, organized by Samfundet konstnärer i Skåne,
Lunds Konsthall.
1968 Concrete element for the façade of Staffanstorp’s
Municipal Hall.
1968 Participates in Erotic Art, at Lunds konsthall.
1968 Retrospective exhibition at Lunds konsthall, The Art Hall of
Gothenburg and in 1969 at The Art Academy in Stockholm.
1969 Enamel painting, for TCO, Sturegatan, Stockholm.
1969 Söderslätt’s Art Association, in Trelleborg.
1971 Adornment of the housing area, Lindängen, together with
Barbro Bäckström and Lennart Aschenbrenner, under
the name of COLABB.
1971 Is being awarded the Large Working Scholarship by
the Government.
1972 Travel to West Africa together with Birgitta Stenberg.
1973 Suggestion for adornment of the main office of
Sparbanken, in Malmö.
1973-74 Travel in West Africa together with LG Lundberg.
1974 Exhibits together with the COBRA-group in Brussels.
1974 Participates in Svensk nutidskonst, Mannheim, Germany.
1974 Svensk samtidsgrafik, Havanna, Cuba.
1975 Svensk samtidsgrafik, Mexico City.
1976 Grafik från Skåne, Stockholm.
1976 Dikt och bild, arranged by Art Promotion, Malmö.
1976 Galleri Glemminge.
1976 Osby Art Association.
1976 Art Forum, Norrköping.
1977 Svensk konst under 50 år, the County Museum
of Jönköping.
1977 Grafiktriennalen, Gothenburg Art Museum.
1977-78 Fantasins frigörelse, Surrealismen I Svensk konst,
traveling exhibition.
1978 Group show Akvarell och gouache 1978, Galleri
Engström, Stockholm.
1978 Allendemuseet, Moderna Museet, Stockholm and in
1979 to Helsinki.
1979 Vandra och förvandla, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm.
1979 Galleri Mellbystrand.
1979 Svensk Grafik Då och Nu, Galleri Mellbystrand.
1980 Östersunds konsthall.
1980 Ur dagens läge, Galleri Händer, Stockholm.
1980 Skånskt 80-tal, Södertälje konsthall.
1980 Sydsvenska Dagbladet. Art Prize.
1980 Group exhibition Ur dagens läge, Galleri Händer, Stockholm.
1980 Adornment at the County Administrative Board in Halmstad,
Fantasiens minnesbank.
1980 Member of the Art Academy.
1981 The Museum in Varberg, Sweden.
1981 Dansk-svensk grafik, Jönköping County Museum.
1981 Graphic Art Exhibition, Kristianstad Museum and again
at Grafiska Sällskapet, Stockholm.
1981 Monumental painting, Fantasins minnesbank, for the
entrance hall in the County administration’s new
building, Halmstad.
1981 Vikingsberg’s Art Museum, Helsingborg.
1981 Grafiska Sällskapet, Stockholm.
1981 Sparbanken in Göinge.
1982 Sweden’s Allmänna Konstförening’s Jubilee exhibition.
1982 COBRA 1948-1951, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
1982 Arbeten 1937-1982, Malmö konsthall.
1982 Galerie Leger, Malmö.
1982 Grafik 1937-1982, Galleri Wallner, Malmö.
1982 Gouacher 1956-1964, Galleri Händer, Malmö.
1983 Galleri F-15, Moss, Norway.
1983 Sölvesborg’s konsthall.
1985 Ystad’s konstmuseum.
1986 Art Centrum, Gävle.
1986 Galleri Astley, Uttersberg.
1986 Blekinge County Museum.
1986 Group exhibition with the COBRA-group in Sala Mendoza,
Caracas, in Malmö konsthall, and in the Haru Museum,
Tokyo, Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm. In 1988 it went to
Odense, Denmark and Amsterdam, Holland.
1987 Målningar från imaginisttiden, Galerie Bel’Art, Stockholm.
New paintings, Falsterbo konsthall.
1988 COBRA 40 years after, Amsterdam.
1989 Måleri 1956-1965, Galerie Bel’Art. Stockholm.
1989 New paintings, Galerie Boibrino, Stockholm.
1989 Fantasins minnesbank, Konstmuseet, Lund..
1989 Annualen, Stockholm.
1989 Imaginister då och nu, Kalmar County Museum.
1989 Group exhibition Animalen, Stockholm.
1990 Genesis, one-man show, Galerie Boibrino, Stockholm Art Fair.
1990 Centro Cultural, Malaga Spain.
1990 Guest exhibition (Mar.17th-Apr.1st.) at
Decembristerna, Copenhagen.
1990 Group exhibition at Galleri GKM, at Fiac, Paris.
1991 Hommage à Matta, Grand Palais, Paris.
1991 Galleri GKM, Malmö.
1992 Jubilee exhibition, Galleri GKM, Malmö.
1992 Kristianstad County, Art Association, Kristianstad
County Museum.
1993 Birgitta Stenberg-Hultén dies.
1994 Besvärjelser, upptäckter, aningar, Ronneby Art Hall.
1995 Participates in the inauguration of a new museum for
Contemporary Art, in Amatelveen, Amsterdam.
1995 Afrikansk stamkonst, paintings by CO Hultén,
Galleri Bass, Kristianstad.
1997 Besvärjelser, upptäckter, aningar, Gothenburg Art Museum
and Bildmuseet, Umeå.
1997 Magins hjärta, CO Hultén’s collection of African Tribal Art,
Galleri Astley, Uttersberg.
1998 Sedda former – Drömda rum, Mjellby konstmuseum, Halmstad.
2000 Gallery in C, Cologne.
2002 Ystad Art Museum.
2003 Galerie Bel’Art, Stockholm.
2003 CO Hultén – abstrakta verk från 40-talet, Galerie Bel’Art,
Stockholm.
2003 Galleri Palm, Falsterbo.
2003 Galleri Astley, Uttersberg.
2003 Awarded the City of Malmö’s Cultural Prize.
2004 Oron och Begäret – Surrealismen i Skandinavien 1930-1950,
Gothenburg Art Museum, collaboration with the Art
Museum in Bergen and Stenersenmuseet, Oslo.
2004 Växjö Art Hall.
2004 Det imaginära och det konkreta, Norrköping Art Museum
and Malmö konstmuseum.
2005 CO Hultén nya målningar, Galerie Bel’Art, Stockholm.
2005 June 11th, inauguration of a new work of art that originated
from part of the adornment in the earlier Municipal
Building in Staffanstorp.
2005 Hässleholm konsthall.
2006 Art Forum, Norrköping.
2006 Borstahusen konsthall, Landskrona.
2006 Participates in “De olydigas konstsalong”, Christinehof Castle.
2006 Ystad konstmuseum.
2006 A tribute to CO Hultén, Works from nine decades,
Galerie Bel’Art, Stockholm.
2006 Staffanstorp konsthall.
2008 Works 1944-1955, Galerie Bel'Art, Stockholm.
2012 Retrospective Moderna Museet, Malmö.
2016 ¨CO Hultén - The Swedish Cobra Painter¨,
Skovhuset, Verløse, Denmark
2016 ¨CO Hultén - The Swedish Cobra Painter¨, Museum Jorn,
Silkeborg, Denmark
2016 Krognoshuset, Lund, ¨Late works - 1990 - 2005¨
2017 Galerie Leger, Malmö