Gunilla Bergström

Gunilla Bergström (1942–2021) has been one of Sweden’s leading picture book creators through the years. ”I’ll darn well draw the soul!” This audacious thought was the beginning of some 40 children’s books with unforgettable characters. But without comparison, it is Alfons Åberg who has become the most famous of Gunilla Bergström’s figures. With a singular colour palette, precise lines and expert compositions, Gunilla Bergström shapes credible environments, placing her figures in a daily life that we can easily recognise. The questions asked are existential and applicable at all ages. Isolation. Fear. Vulnerability. The various facets of friendship. The unexpected complications of family life. The universal principles of happiness. Internal and external life. Appreciating the little things. These form the foundation of Gunilla Bergström’s imagery. The books about Alfons Åberg have been translated into some thirty languages and comprise the majority of Gunilla Bergström’s production.