The Early Years (1932-44)

Hans Sandberg — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:02:03 GMT

Welcome to Galerie Constance, the latest addition to my Nordic Link Substack. My intention is to share Harald Sandberg’s art and relevant photos and other material that can highlight his work. In this first post, I have included four early oil paintings, two etchings and three drawings.

This is the first in a series of posts about my father and his art. Please, take a minute to restack it to other Substackers, and share it with friends and family. Thank you!

Harald at 20, 1932.

This is one of the first newspaper clippings I have about my father as an aspiring artist.

Söderhamn’s Oldest Had His Portrait Done in Oil
Söderhamn’s and the county’s oldest resident, the former fisherman Petter Eriksson in Lilla Åsberget, has now reached the respectable age of 102 years and just over four months. He recently had his majestic features immortalized in oil.
The portrait is signed Ivar Haralds, behind which artist name the hairdresser Harald Sandberg in Linköping is hidden. Mr. Sandberg has his home in Söderhamn but has been running a women’s hairdressing salon in Linköping for a few years.
In addition to his civilian profession, he has however, devoted himself to painting, and when he was visiting his hometown the other day, he took the opportunity to visit the vital elderly man up in Åsberget. He was then offered to paint the 102-year-old man’s portrait and immediately set to work on the task. After only three hours of work, the portrait was finished and it’s obvious to anyone that the artist succeeded with his work, especially those who have had the opportunity to compare the portrait with the original. The resemblance is striking, and Mr. Sandberg has entirely succeeded in capturing the expression of peace and quiet, elevated tranquility that characterizes the features of the blind elderly man.
Petter Eriksson, who is still in good health, found only pleasure in sitting as a model, but found it regrettable that he himself could not see the portrait. The portrait is currently exhibited at the Molander’s store together with another excellent work by the same artist, a spring motif from Linköping.
(From a local newspaper)

My father’s art gallery.

I named this virtual art museum after a small art gallery my father started in 1973 in Blackeberg, a suburb in western Stockholm. He ran it for two years until he and his wife Constance moved to Hornsgatan 34 in the center of Stockholm. He had been awarded a large apartment in a renovated 17th century building exclusively for artists.

If you want to learn more about Harald Sandberg, his childhood, life and early career, check out my book I’m Adding Sunshine to My Paint - Harald Sandberg’s Path to the Arts, which is also available in Swedish: Jag blandar solsken i färgen - Harald Sandbergs väg till konsten.

I'm Adding Sunshine to My Paint - Harald Sandberg's Path

A substack about the book "I'm Adding Sunshine to My Paint."

By Hans Sandberg

The Nordic Link: Galerie Constance

From Salon Owner to Husband and Painter

The Early Years (1932-44)

Söderhamn’s Oldest Had His Portrait Done in Oil