Bronsbyst föreställande Franz Berwald av Carl Eldh Bronsbyst föreställande Franz Berwald av Carl Eldh

Art in the Concert Hall Franz Berwald

A bronze bust by the sculptor Carl Eldh (1873-1954) depicting the Swedish composer Franz Berwald (1796-1868), placed in the Götaplatsen foyer.

The bronze bust of swedish composer Franz Berwald (1796-1868) in the Götaplatsen foyer was created by Carl Eldh. In addition to his career as a composer, Berwald was also a violinist and orthopaedist. He composed several symphonies, violin and piano concertos, and chamber music pieces.

During his lifetime, Berwald’s music did not gain significant recognition in Sweden. Between 1846 and 1849, he lived in cities such as Vienna, Paris, and Salzburg, where his music was received more positively than back home.

Berwald died at the age of 72 in Stockholm, where his estate lacked the funds to afford a coffin. His musical contributions were only truly acknowledged in Sweden after his death. In 1976, the new concert hall of Sveriges Radio was named Berwaldhallen in his honour.

Carl Eldh (1873-1954)

Carl Eldh was one of Sweden’s most prominent sculptors in the early 20th century. He primarily worked in a realistic style, and his most notable works consist of portraits, nudes, and monuments. Eldh portrayed figures such as Fröding and Hjalmar Branting, and created the Strindberg Monument in Tegnérlunden in Stockholm. He studied at the Technical Evening School in Stockholm and the Académie Colarossi in Paris.

Today, Eldh’s former studio in Stockholm is a museum, housing nearly five hundred of the artist’s plaster casts and works, as well as new exhibitions, tours, and programs. Eldh is also represented in most major museums in Sweden and at Glyptoteket in Copenhagen.

62 x 31 x 30 cm (hxdxb). 

© Carl Eldh /BUS 2009