Carl Milles

Carl Milles’ (1875-1955) legacy is enormous, he created numerous large works in public spaces that can be seen all over Sweden. Milles was an ambitious artist who was inspired by Greek and Roman mythology and Swedish literary heritage. He created huge sculptures from granite or bronze that are located in fountains, on tall pillars or plinths where they tower magnificently into the sky. A common subject of his was the interaction of mythical creatures and animals such as dolphins or horses, and motion was a constant motif. Milles was educated in Paris, with the important French sculptor Auguste Rodin, and before that he had studied wood carving, like Ásmundur. Milles was a productive teacher, first at the Royal Art Academy in Stockholm 1920-31 and later at the Cranbrook Institute in USA 1931-45, where he lived from 1929. Works from his later years are preserved there.