The Claës Lewenhaupt Scholarship

Claës Lewenhaupt’s scholarship fund for young photographers was funded after Claës death in 1990. The intention of the foundation is to promote young photographers possibility to develop or fulfil a photographic idea through a yearly distribution.

The foundation has its residence in Landskrona and the board for the time being consists of Tonie Lewenhaupt, Gerry Johansson, Janne Jönsson and Göran Nyström.

Up until 2018 the scholarship has been distributed 19 times. Lisa Brink is the scholar in 2022. Every scholar leaves an image as a gift to the foundation. These images are stored at Landskrona museum.

Read more about Claës Lewenhaupt-foundation and earlier scholars

ABOUT CLAËS LEWENHAUPT

Like many other photographers Claës Lewenhaupt acclaimed the daylight. The soft slightly sad and grey northern light that gently sneaks in and on over faces, bodies and fabrics, over food and people, room and gardens, over houses and landscapes.

The camera, preferably a Rolleiflex, in a proper height, a steady tripod, no artificial angles, never difficult poses or overambitious arrangements.

Claes was in many ways a classical photographer but in his own personal way. Images of fashion, food, gardening, portraits, and commercials like Flora, TT-beer, or Jane Hellen had their own often undated calm but never a boring character.

Claës died of cancer in May 1990. At Landskrona museum the largest part of his image archive is stored.

The 2024 scholar is Elsa Gregersdotter

Elsa Gregersdotter (b. 1992) is educated at the Valand Academy and is based in Stockholm. She works as a photographer and artist, moving between staged and documentary photography. Her work often focuses on the body and the gaze upon ourselves. She strives to create a visual world that conveys something about the human experience. Gregersdotter has participated in exhibitions in several cities across Europe, including Berlin, Budapest, Helsinki, Łódź, and Horten.

In her artistic practice, Elsa Gregersdotter aims to create a visual world that conveys something about being human, the gaze upon the human body, and the expectations placed on us. She works with character creation, developing figures that raise questions about the representation of the body, self-awareness, and how we often see ourselves from an external perspective. The process is theatrical, and Elsa often views the images as scenes.

In the motivation for choosing Elsa Gregersdotter as this year’s Lewenhaupt grant recipient, the foundation states:

“The old man persists. Regardless of time and place, he turns his back on us. Only Elsa Gregersdotter knows who he is. She, who is both photographer and model. Her series of images is tender. Never condescending or ridiculing. But unexpected and beautiful in its artless simplicity. Elsa envisions a continuation or rather a development, which makes us in the grant foundation curious.”