Alexander Borisovich Serebriakoff

The present work shows Gunnar Wilhelm Lundberg's birthplace in Södertälje, Sweden. Lundberg excelled himself as an art historian, and served as the Swedish cultural attaché to France from 1946. He also established the Institut Tessin, the centre for Swedish culture in Paris.

Having studied at the Sorbonne, Lundberg's career saw him commission several Swedish exhibitions in Paris, establish a Bernadotte museum in Pau in 1951, become chairman of the Societé des amis du Musée Bernadotte, and board member of the Societé de l'histoire de l'art français. He further published the Bulletin historique du Royal Suédois with André Desfeuilles, and Bulletin du Musée Bernadotte with Françoise Debaisieux.

Most known for his interior paintings, the present work offers an example of Serebriakoff's rendering of building exteriors. A large, classical building, surrounded by trees laden with foliage, is accompanied by a tobakshandel (tobacconist) on the corner.