Olle Nordmark

Who is Olle Nordmark?

Olle Emanuel Nordmark was a Swedish painter and muralist born in Nordanholen at Mockfjärd parish. He started to draw and paint at an early age. In the beginning he was taught by his father, but in 1901 he came in contact with Gustaf Ankarcrona in Leksand who taught him the basics. At the age of 15, he had decided that he is going to become an artist. He continued his studies at Althin's School of Painting in Stockholm where he trained in fresco painting.

After his studies Nordmark worked with mural- and decorative paintings for private homes and churches in Sweden. While working his interest towards theatrical scenery started to grow. In 1917 he traveled to Moscow to study theatrical scenery. The next year he returned to Stockholm, where he started to work with theatrical sceneries and drawings for costumes. He worked for among others theatres like the Södra Teatern, the Stora Teatern, the Folkan, the Oscars Teatern and the Royal Swedish Opera.

Nordmark stayed in Stockholm until 1924. Mean while he became a very well known and appreciated designer of theatrical sceneries. His works were very imaginative, beautiful and colorful. Nordmark worked also with Karl Gerhard on sets for 22 productions. During his time in Stockholm he worked also as the head of Grabowska a decorative painting workshop at Karlavägen and arranged a number of displays in the news-office window of Svenska Dagbladet for among others Barnängen and Finbruken.