MALMO.- Nils Dardel is one of our most popular artists. For the first time ever in the Öresund region, we have the opportunity to study his oeuvre in depth. In this extensive solo exhibition, Nils Dardel and the Modern Age, visitors can get to know one of Sweden’s most pronounced dandies – who, in the constant presence of death, led a debauched life, among the aristocracy and the avant-garde artists of Paris in the early days of the 20th century, and whose unique style, “Dardelism”, gave us iconic and beloved paintings such as The Dying Dandy, Crime of Passion, and The Waterfall.

Europe changed radically in the early 20th century. Industrialisation, urbanisation and technological innovations introduced new methods for spreading ideas and communicating over national boundaries. The fleeting, ephemeral modern life gave rise to a heightened sensitivity and restless mobility, which came to expression in modernist art. The avant-garde was constantly looking for what had never been seen before, and new “isms” were born head to tail: cubism, futurism, orphism, rayonism.

Nils Dardel (1888-1943) was not, however, a pure modernist aesthetically. Stylistically, Nils Dardel mixed naivism with late-19th century symbolism, and his works are in conflict with the times in which he lived, a modern era that was preoccupied with keeping up with the latest craze and could not fully appreciate an artist who never entirely embraced the avant-garde. Dardel relied in an old-fashioned way on using stories and myths to portray an ambivalence about being both seduced and outraged by the onslaught of modernism.

His private life became public in a way that nearly dominated the picture, to the extent that the “role” or “mythical figure” of Dardel stood in the way of the artist. Dardel did not exhibit his work that frequently, and did not achieve wide acclaim until after his death. His works are quirky; a seemingly banal and innocuous trait can suddenly change into its diametrical opposite. Seriousness and irony co-exist, and many of his images have several parallel storylines. In consequence, the narratives have multiple entry and exit points. This ambiguity is characteristic of both his person and his oeuvre. His is a dual nature that attracts, and is attracted by, both men and women.

“Nils Dardel had scarlet fever in his youth, leading to an enlarged heart. His awareness of death had an exceedingly strong impact on his lifestyle and is clearly discernible in his oeuvre. Death, darkness and demons are present in various ways in his imagery – as hallucinations, dreams and specific motifs,” says John Peter Nilsson, director of Moderna Museet Malmö and curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition Nils Dardel and the Modern Age was featured at Moderna Museet in Stockholm last year, and was a great success among public and critics alike. The Malmö exhibition is an adapted version, presenting more than 60 works in the turbine hall, most of which have never before been shown in the Öresund region. It includes a unique audio recording of Nils Dardel’s wife Tora Dardel talking about their extravagant life in Paris in the 1920s, and Johan Hagelbäck’s film of Nils Dardel’s Historien om Lilla och Stora kanin.

“We showed a few of Nils Dardel’s works in 2011 in the exhibition Change of Scenes here in Malmö, and noted an enormous interest among our visitors to study his work in greater depth. Therefore, it is especially satisfying to open such an extensive exhibition, where most of the works are presented to an entirely new audience, since they have never before been shown in this region,” says John Peter Nilsson.