Gottfrid Larsson

Gottfrid Larsson (1875–1947), born November 21, 1875 in Vallerstad in Östergötland, Sweden, died December 24, 1947 in , Sweden, was a Swedish sculptor.

Julius Gottfrid Andreas Larsson was born in 1875 in Narveryd’s farm in Vallerstad in Mjölby Municipality, five kilometer northeast of Skänninge in Östergötland. His father was the farmer Anders Larsson. At the age of 14 he came to Norrköping in Östergötland where he stayed and worked as a wood carver and studied wood-carving (wood-engraving) at the Technical Evening School in 1889-1895. Then he came to in 1895 and studied at the Tekniska skolan in Stockholm or Konstfack (Högre konstindustriella skolan) there in 1895-1899. In 1900 he received a travel grant from the Svenska Slöjdföreningen and Kommerskollegium and then he continued his studies in Paris at Académie Colarossi in Paris in 1900-1902. He assisted in the Royal Dramatic Theatre's decoration in (Swedish: Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern or Dramaten in Stockholm), and in 1905 he helped Carl Milles with his work for this theatre. The theatre has been at its present location in the Art Nouveau building at Nybroplan in Stockholm since 1908. Famous artists like Carl Milles and Carl Larsson were involved in making the decorations, and some of the interior decorations were made by Prince Eugen. After that Larsson continued his studies in Munich in 1905-1906 and he spent 1906-1907 in Italy.

With the great scholarship from the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts he continued to study in France, and he mostly lived in Paris during the years 1908-1913, with visits to England, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. During his time in Paris he got to know some other Swedish artists, who also studied at the Académie Colarossi in Paris. There were, among others, his artist fellows Erik Tryggelin (1878–1962) and David Wallin (1876–1957). They all became friends for life from their time together in Paris. Académie Colarossi was an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. At this time it was located in 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. During his time in Paris Gottfrid Larsson married the Norwegian woman Karen Sofie Waaler in 1911, and she became Mrs. Karen Larsson.

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