As an illustrator, Ilon Wikland has remained relevant for several decades. Through her varied style with the child’s perspective at the center, her images have set a standard for many subsequent illustrators in the world of children’s books. She trained as soon as she arrived in Sweden in 1944 and quickly found work with newspapers and publishers. The close collaboration with Astrid Lindgren began in 1954 and continued for several decades. Ilon Wikland has also illustrated for many more authors such as Mary Norton, Barbro Lindgren and Kerstin Thorvall. Her latest publication is Peter and the Wolf , which came out in 2014 and is based on Sergei Prokofiev’s classic work.
Motifs with role models from Hapsal and Tallinn
Ilon Wikland’s visual world includes stately castles as well as colorful wooden houses, deep forests and winding cobbled streets. Several motifs have models in Wikland’s Estonian background and are reminiscent of the environments in Hapsal and the views from Tallinn where she grew up. Ilon Wikland has told in his own words and pictures about his childhood and his experiences as a refugee. The events she lived through as a teenager can in many ways remind us of the anxieties of our own time. With the exhibition, Gothenburg’s art museum wants to draw attention to the fact that it is 80 years since the great flight from Estonia took place.
Place for old and young to meet
Ilon Wikland’s picture worlds. Saga, adventure and everyday life is the largest exhibition with Ilon Wikland in Sweden to date. Here the visitor can take part in well-known motifs together with sketches and works that have never been shown before. In an environment where nostalgia and adventure go hand in hand, the rooms become a place for old and young to meet across generational boundaries. Step into an enchanted fairytale world, deepen your understanding of Ilon Wikland’s life and experience a bustling city with well-known figures and stories!
For children and young people
In the exhibition there are several activities for children and young people. In the museum’s Studio, you can try illustrating and writing in the spirit of Ilon Wikland. There is also a cozy reading corner to settle down in to read a fairy tale or just relax. In the exhibition there are also various missions and puzzles to solve along the way. Welcome to story time in the exhibition. No pre-registration is required.
