Gallery Midlandia

08/05/2026

NEW ARRIVAL - ‘Abstract Form - Orange, Vermillion and Black’ by Heinz Friedrich Kirchner (German 1926-2000), gouache on paper, signed, circa 1960s, presented in a new hand finished timber frame with double thick archival mat and with non-reflective UV glass - 10 1/2 x 15 cm art size / 28 x 33 cm framed size (approx). Link to our website in IG header for full details.

Heinz Friedrich Kirchner was born on May 21, 1926, in Weisenheim am Berg, Rhineland-Palatinate. He was a German painter, draftsman, and graphic artist.

Kirchner grew up in a farming family. After returning from military service, he pursued his passion for art and enrolled at various art schools in Munich and Mainz. He studied under Carlo Kuhl and P. P. Hübsch, developing a broad technical foundation and a keen interest in composition, material, and form.

From 1955 onward, Kirchner lived and worked in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, where he established himself both as a painter and as a creator of Kunst am Bau (art in architecture). Over his career, he completed more than 120 commissions, producing mosaics, stained-glass windows, sgraffiti, sculptures, and fountains. While these large-scale works secured his livelihood, his independent artistic practice centred on painting and drawing.

Kirchner’s art reflects the spirit of the postwar era. His portraits are noted for their clarity of composition and psychological depth, combining expressive intensity with formal restraint. Influences of Cubism and Expressionism appear in his work, yet he maintained an individual voice characterised by directness and humanity.

Alongside portraits, Kirchner produced abstracts, landscapes, still lifes, and scenes of everyday life, frequently imbuing his subjects with symbolic undertones. Works such as Winterhafen in Mainz (1947), Tanzende Bachantinnen (1950), and Lesender (1960s) illustrate his range — from post-impression naturalism to more abstracted, expressive forms.

06/05/2026

New arrival at the gallery - ‘Village Scene with Three Figures and Bicycle’ by Fabian Lundqvist( Swedish 1913-1989), oil on canvas, circa 1960s, presented in a new off white painted timber inner liner with hand finished outer timber frame - 69 x 60 cm frame size - canvas is larger than standard size Lundqvist predominantly used.

Fabian Lundqvist was Swedish painter, glass designer and sculptor born on 16th March 1913 in Malmö.

Lundqvist studied at the Skånska målarskolan (Skåne painting School) in Malmö in 1946 under the German / Danish artist and sculptor Harald Isenstein. He then continued his study in 1948 travelling to Paris to study under the French sculptors and painters André Lhote and Jean Fautrier. Lundqvist worked in oil, pastel and watercolour painting landscapes and figurative compositions.

Lundqvist first exhibited alongside Ib Tollberg at the Killbergs Konstsalong (Killbergs Art Salon) in Hälsingborg in 1944. His solo exhibitions include Ängelholm and Trelleborg (1950), at the Studio Schrader in Copenhagen (1951) and in Lund (1951), SDS-hallen in Malmö and Galerie Alioth in Basel (1953), Älmhult (1953) and Landskrona (1957). Lundqvist also participated in numerous group exhibitions - including Skånes konstförenings (Skåne’s Art Association) exhibitions in Malmö (1943-1950), the Höstsalongern (Autumn Salon) in Helsingborg (1945-47) and the Kulingen in Copenhagen in 1953.

Lundqvist travelled to France (1947-50), Switzerland (1953), and Spain and Morocco (1954). He was a member of the Konstnärernas Riksorganisation (Artists’ National Organization) and the Skånska Konstnärsklubben (Skane Arts Club)

In 1958, Lundqvist became a designer and artistic advisor at the Trelleborg & Alsterfors Glasbruk (glassworks). Examples of Lundqvist’s work can be seen in the Ystad museums and the Malmö General Hospital. He also worked as a sculptor with reliefs in brass and metal foil with solid composition and structure.

07/03/2026

Inspiration of the day - ‘Two Forms in Echelon’ (1961) by Barbara Hepworth.

We’re open today till 4pm - call in to view our latest arrivals from Scandinavia and Japan (including a shipment of vintage Ikebana vessels). Plus we have a couple of great books on Barbara Hepworth ($25 and $35).

27/02/2026

JUST LISTED - ‘Veneziansk Syntes’ (Venetian Synthesis) by Tuulikki Pietilä (Finnish 1917-2009). limited edition serigraph - artist proof 6/21 - signed and dated 1957, original exhibition label attached verso, presented in its original frame with new outer timber frame added plus new archival mat and backing, and non-relfective UV glass - 44 x 54 cm

Ida Helmi Tuulikki Pietilä was a Finnish artist, graphic artist and teacher born in Seattle, Washington, on 18th February 1917.

Pietilä began her studies at the Turku drawing school, which she attended from 1933 to 1936, followed by study at the drawing school of the Finnish art association from 1936 to 1940, the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm between 1945 and 1949 and the Fernand Léger Art Academy in Paris from 1949 to 1953. During her studies, she met her partner Tove Jansson. They collaborated on many works and projects, including the Moomin works, in collaboration with Pentti Eistola. These are now exhibited at the Moomin museum in Tampere. Pietilä inspired the energetic figure Tooticky in Jansson’s Moomin books. Pietilä’s brother was architect Reima Pietilä.

Jansson’s and Pietilä’s travels and summers spent together on the Klovharu island in Pellinki have been captured on several hours of film, shot by Pietilä. Several documentaries have been made of this footage, the latest being ‘Haru, yksinäinen saari’ (Haru, the lonely island) (1998) and ‘Tove ja Tooti Euroopassa’ (Tove and Tooti in Europe) (2004).

Pietilä’s debut exhibition was in Turku, Finland in 1935. Throughout her career she exhibited extensively in Finland and overseas. She was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal in 1963 and was an honourary member of Finnish Printmakers Association. Pietilä was one of the most influential people in Finnish graphic arts. She worked as a teacher in the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, for many years, and later trained graphic artists and wrote instructional books about graphic arts.

#1957

24/02/2026

JUST LISTED - ‘Abstract in Red, Blue, Grey and White’ by Sune Skote (Swedish 1919-2014), oil on canvas, signed, circa 1950s - presented in a new off white painted inner liner frame and hand finished outer timber frame - 58 x 51 cm

Sune Erik Gustav Skote was born February 28, 1919 in Stockholm.

Skote was a self taught Swedish artist and graphic designer. He participated in the National Museum’s exhibition ‘Unga Tecknare’ from 1948-1953 and from the mid-1950s at the Lidingösalongerna and the Liljevalchs Stockholmssalonger. Together with Pär Nordlander he exhibited at Lidingö in 1951, alongside Bengt Arkö in Västervik in 1954, and with Ivan Roos and Olle von Schewen in Norrköping in 1964. Skote participated in many group exhibitions organized by the Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening (Swedish Public Art Association). Hewas awarded the Lidingö City Culture Scholarship in 1966. Skote is best known for his non-figurative abstract paintings, and coastal landscapes from Central Sweden and Rhodes, predominantly executed in oil. Examples of Skote’s work is in public collections including the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Gustav VI Adolf’s collection and Lidingö municipality gallery.

Skote was married to actress and children’s book author Inger Skote (nee Svennö).

06/02/2026

Inspiration of the day via the one of IG’s best accounts - the incredible 1967 split-level home of architect Ray Kappe (1927-2019) in Los Angeles - currently on the market - photo Adam Štěch, 2016.
In gallery news - we’re open today 11am-4pm and have a number of new pieces just arrived (and a few newly listed on the site), plus the start of some books and pieces I’m bring in from my collection as we pack up our home for a renovation.

05/02/2026

OPEN THURSDAY / FRIDAY / SATURDAY 11am-4pm (or by appointment 7 days away week) - call in to view our selection of vintage art and design including ‘Abstract Composition’ by Bengt Bolin (Swedish 1921-2003), collage, oil on canvas on panel, signed and dated 65, presented in its original frame - 47 x 47 1/2 cm / original exhibition flyer from 1966 attached verso. * A painting from the same period as this and with a similar palette is in the collection of - the Moderna Museet, Stockholm.

Bengt Arne Bolin was born 27 February 1933 in Enåker, Uppland . He was a Swedish painter and print maker. Bolin’s father was the renowned Swedish instrument designer and maker Georg Bolin (1912-1993)

Bolin studied at the Konstakademien (Stockholm Academy of Fine Arts) and during several study trips in Europe. He lived in Spain for a period. He is best known for his constructive pop art often in the form of collages, cityscapes, landscapes sometimes inspired by American pop art and graphics. Examples of Bolin’s work are held in the collection of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and at the Gustaf VI Adolf’s collection.

#1965 gallery

27/01/2026

Inspiration of the day - Hardy Strid (Swedish 1921-2012) gallery exhibition at Galleri 54 in Gothenburg in 1960. We sold the painting at bottom left in our first year of trading and just recently came across this in situ gallery photo - via - swipe to view the painting. We currently have another abstract from a few years earlier (1957) available at the gallery.

23/01/2026

OPEN TODAY 11am-4pm - call in to view our new arrivals including - ‘Calling to the Mountain’ (Yama Ni Sakebu) by Umetaro Azechi (Japanese 1902-1999), original wood block print, hand signed in pencil, plus artist’s red seal in the image. Presented in a new hand finished timber frame with non-reflective UV museum glass and double thick archival mat and backing - 43 x 60 cm frame size. Shown here alongside a vintage modernist Japanese ikebana vessel and Finnish glass vase by Tamara Aladin for Riihimäen Lasi Oy.

Born to poor farmers in Uwajima in the far-flung Ehime prefecture of Shikoku, Umetaro Azechi (1902-1999) came from a humble background. Securing a job at a government printing company in Tokyo he soon developed a deep curiosity in the art of printmaking. Pursuing his newfound curiosity and passion, Azechi introduced himself to Unichi Hiratsuka, an established artist of the time, and became a member of the Sozaku-hanga print movement. Overtime he gained access to exhibitions, met other artists, and honed his own skills, eventually participating in major print biennales in Sao Paulo, Tokyo and Lugano. An avid mountaineer, Azechi is most famous for his mountain scenes, which can now be found in the Achenbach Foundation in San Francisco, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts or The British Museum in London.

16/01/2026