Swedish graphic artist and illustrator Bjorn Berg, known for his illustrations of several of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren’s books, has died aged 84, reports said on Monday.
Among Berg’s best-known illustrations were those of Emil from Lonneberga about a little boy, known for his many pranks, who featured in several books set in Lindgren’s home province of Smaland.
Berg’s own son Torbjorn was said to have inspired his depiction of the blond-haired Emil.
Lindgren, who died in 2002 at age 94, was the creator of numerous fictional characters including Pippi Longstocking.
Born in 1923 in Bavaria to Swedish parents, Berg decided at an early age that he wanted to work as an artist and he studied in Paris under, among others, Fernand Leger and Andre Lohte.
His style has been described as ”quick”, and with ”just a few exact strokes” Berg was able to depict a scene or character.
Berg also worked for about 50 years as a newspaper artist at Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter.
He collaborated with several Swedish writers and journalists, including Alf Henriksson who wrote several popular books on history.
Berg also did watercolours with themes ranging from the city to rural areas including landscapes from the sparsely populated northern province of Harjedalen.
His work has featured on stamps issued by the Swedish postal services and some of his illustrations were exhibited at the National Museum in Stockholm at the end of 2004. — Sapa-dpa