Lars-Gunnar Nordström (FIN, 1924-2014) was one of the leading pioneers of concrete, non-representational art in Finland. He focused on three basic elements in his works: colour, form, and line. These elements were to be in a mutually dependent relationship, and the works were not to refer to anything beyond themselves and the interplay that arose. Nordström was originally trained in interior design and was considered a self-taught artist. Nevertheless, he was one of Finland's foremost in his field and was the first to exhibit concrete works in his home country.
In both his paintings and sculptures, Nordström was considered a composer, but where the notes were replaced by sounds of precisely colour, form, and line. For Nordström, it was as if the work with good compositions and form never ceased, and he was known for continually folding small figures of note papers and receipts. Perhaps this was also how he was inspired to create the sculpture Sekvens?
Danish artist Ejler Bille (DK, 1910-2004) was one of the foremost pioneers of abstract art in Denmark in the early 20th century. In the 1930s, he was involved in the artist group linien along with Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Vilhelm Bjerke-Petersen, and Richard Mortensen. Together, they promoted an abstract-surrealist expression through both exhibitions and a magazine of the same name. In the 1940s, Bille became a central figure in the international artist group CoBrA (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam).
Although Bille is perhaps best known for his paintings today, it was with sculpture that he first made his mark. His earliest sculptures depicted animals and birds, reflecting his interest in nature and its wildlife. Bille has been described as a poetic artist, both for the large amounts of texts he produced about contemporary new artistic expressions and for the tenderness he put into his work with visual art. The title Saurian can be translated to "lizard." The sculpture appears almost mystical, yet without being frightening or unpleasant. It has a tenderness about it, with its head turned down, seeking contact with the viewer.
