[JEANSELLEM VIEWER] — 24.11—13.12-1972 LEIF NORMAN — Categories: press, photo, letters, poster, invitation — Keywords: Galerie S:t Petri, Jean Sellem, archive — Category: press — Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällposten, 2.12.1972 Konstronden by Mailis Stensman — GALLERY S:T PETRI, S:t Petri Kyrkogata 5, open Mon–Fri 15:00–20:00, Sat–Sun 12:00–17:00.Leif Norman shows collages combined with painting, images of destruction and exploration. In a stencil he says: “Who today can paint landscapes affected by environmental destruction, poisoning and predatory exploitation? How can one deal with aesthetic problems when reality is so cruel and anti-aesthetic? It is escapism. The country is devastated. The human dimension is lost and the distress becomes abstract… We can hear a thousand words, read a thousand stencils and newspaper articles without really being able to imagine the reality behind the words.”An image CAN make things obvious, make facts come alive, and perhaps, perhaps someone through my pictures may see the “real” shape, the image one feels to be truly the reality. Yes, we hope so. Leif Norman also deals with aesthetic problems and therefore must make the pictures function and function to their maximum. And even if it does not work, it works in the way he wants. The dangers that surround us today, and that we refuse to see in everyday life, are endless. — — — Arbetet 25.11.1972 (handwritten annotation: “ARB. 25.11.72”) Image caption: Leif Norman’s vision of the world, Nixon at the end. — PUSS Contributor at S:t PetriLUND: Art dealing with the problems of our time — famine, environmental destruction, poisoning and predatory exploitation — is now being shown at Galerie S:t Petri in Lund.The Stockholm-based artist Leif Norman — born in Skåne — is exhibiting from 24 November to 13 December. He is not concerned with aesthetic problems. “That is escapism from reality,” he says.Leif Norman believes that images — both documentary pictures and sharpened artistic ones — can help make reality tangible for people. He works with collage in order to sharpen reality.Leif Norman has previously taken part in several exhibitions, both group and solo. He has also contributed to the magazine PUSS. — — — Helsingborgs Dagblad, 12.12.1972 (handwritten annotation: “Helsingborgs Dagbl. 12.12.72”). — Contemporary CollageThe lively Galerie S:t Petri in Lund is currently showing an exhibition of collages by Leif Norman from Stockholm. In his work, Norman seeks his motifs in contemporary art, where one often encounters a distorted reality. His paintings are generally large in scale, executed in a freely combined technique. With his sometimes almost surreal works, Norman aims to comment on the times we live in. He also succeeds in creating harmonious compositions, even though he is keen to highlight the conflicts and tensions of our society.Overall, it is a highly contemporary exhibition, clearly marked by Norman’s personal signature. — — — Category: press — Skånska Dagbladet, 24.11.1972 (handwritten note: “SKD 24.11.72”).Caption: In his collages, Leif Norman wants to depict the harsh reality of war, famine, and poisoning. — Collages about Reality at Galerie S:t Petri— Who today can paint landscapes affected by environmental destruction, poisoning, and overexploitation? How can one deal with aesthetic problems when reality is so cruel and unaesthetic? asks collage artist Leif Norman, who is now exhibiting at Galerie S:t Petri.Leif Norman believes that the image—both the documentary image and especially the artistically heightened one—has an important function to fulfil.— We can hear a thousand words, read a thousand stencils and newspaper articles, yet still not be able to truly imagine the reality behind the words, the artist says.He believes that an image can make words tangible and bring facts to life. This is why he has adopted the collage method, to show the distorted reality.Leif Norman was born in Skåne but now resides in Stockholm. He has held several exhibitions, both group and solo shows, in Lund and Stockholm. He also contributes occasionally to the magazine PUSS.The exhibition at Galerie S:t Petri runs from 1 to 13 December. — — — Category: press — Unidentified newspaper clipping (source unknown) — GALLERY S:t PETRI, S:t Petri kyrkogata 5, open Mon–Fri 3–8 pm, Sat–Sun 12–5 pm.Leif Norman shows collages sometimes combined with painting, images of destruction and explosion. In a stencil he says:“Who today can paint landscapes untouched by environmental destruction, poisoning, and exploitation? How can one deal with aesthetic problems when reality is so cruel and unaesthetic? It is escapism. The escape is frightening.”The human dimension is lost and necessity becomes abstract… We may hear a thousand words, read a thousand stencils and newspaper articles, yet still not be able to truly imagine the reality behind the words.A picture CAN make words tangible, make facts come alive, and perhaps one of my pictures may be the “right” one for someone – the image that grabs hold, that makes reality real. Yes, we hope so.Today, Leif Norman also deals with aesthetic problems and must ensure that his pictures function and function to the fullest. And yet, perhaps they do not; perhaps they function at their maximum only according to what the artist wants. The winding paths of refusing to see, of not wanting one's habits threatened, are endless. — — — Category: press — Unidentified newspaper clipping (source unknown) — Collage in the Present MomentGalerie S:t Petri in Lund is currently concluding an exhibition of collages by the Stockholm artist Leif Norman, who is originally from Skåne. It is an engaged form of art whose main purpose is to illuminate contemporary problems, but also to deliver well-aimed jabs to the right and perhaps, to some extent, to the left. With the approach of Christmas, one may mention a pig’s head in whose mouth the traditional apple has been replaced by Mother Earth — a true apple of discord. A stimulating liveliness is the hallmark of this exhibition. — — — Category: press — Lundagård, no. 19, 1972 (handwritten note: “LUNDAGÅRD 19.1972”) — Making Reality Real From November 24 to December 13, Galerie S:t Petri is presenting an exhibition by the collage artist Leif Norman, born in Skåne but now living in Stockholm.Most of the images address today’s pressing issues: war, hunger, environmental destruction, poisoning, and exploitation. He believes it is a form of escapism to deal with aesthetic questions when reality is so cruel and unaesthetic.Leif Norman believes that images — not only documentary photos but especially artistic ones, taken to their extremes — have an important role to play. They can help make reality real for people.Leif Norman has participated in several exhibitions, both solo and group shows, in cities such as Lund and Stockholm. He also contributes occasionally to the magazine PUSS. — — — Category: photo — Black and white photographic reproduction of a collage by Leif Norman 1/4 — — — Category: photo — Black and white photographic reproduction of a collage by Leif Norman 2/4 — — — Category: photo — Black and white photographic reproduction of a collage by Leif Norman 3/4 — — — Category: photo — Black and white photographic reproduction of a collage by Leif Norman 4/4 — — — Greeting card sent by the Palestinian Union based in Lund, Sweden. 1/2 — Merry Christmas Happy New Year As you celebrate the birth of Christ in the warmth and safety of your home and amid plenty, pause to give thought to those who were expelled from their home, Palestine, and have determined to return. palestinian union tornavägen 3 242 lund - sweden — — — Category: letters — Envelope sent from Sveagalleriet, Stockholm to Leif Norman, 15.03.1971, 1/3 — Envelope sent from Sveagalleriet, Stockholm to Leif Norman, and later forwarded to Jean Sellem.Contains various documents related to the gallery's activitiesSVEAGALLERIETBox 1305 · 111 83 Stockholm · SwedenArtist Leif NormanGamla Landsvägen 43130 10 EktorpPostmark: Stockholm – March 15, 1971 — — — Category: letters — Envelope sent from Sveagalleriet, Stockholm to Leif Norman, 15.03.1971, 2/3 — INVITATION TO THE OPENING SATURDAY DECEMBER 13, 1–4 PMNUTIDA KONST'S CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENTKarl-Olov Björk, Bertil Bagger-Sjöbäck, Boi Edberg, Lars Hillersberg, Åke Karlung, Lars Kleen, Börje Lindberg, Ulf Rahmberg, Christer v. Rosen, Ulrik Samuelson, Lena Svedberg, Hans Wigert, Hans VikstenThe exhibition runs until December 23 – Weekdays 11 AM–5 PM – Saturdays 11 AM–4 PM – Sundays 1–4 PMKarlbergsvägen 13, Stockholm – Phone 31 83 15 — — — Category: letters — Envelope sent from Sveagalleriet, Stockholm to Leif Norman, 15.03.1971, 3/3 — Stockholm, 15 March 1971Artist Leif NormanGamla Landsvägen 43130 10 EKTORPAs you have already received the report from the exhibition "One Thousand and One Nights", this letter includes only photocopies and a photograph.We would also like to thank you for your participation and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours!Best regards,SVEAGALLERIETsignature Maggie Almqvist — — — Price list for works exhibited at the S:T Petri Gallery — — — Category: press — Invitation card for an exhibition by Leif Norman at Klub MPiK in Kraków (Poland), February–March 1973. — GALLERY OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS AND BOOK CLUBKRAKÓWLEIF NORMANSWEDENCOLLAGEFEBRUARY – MARCHOPENING: 21 FEBRUARY 1973, 6 PMMPiK CLUB, 1 JAGIELLOŃSKA STREET, KRAKÓW — Artistic statement by Leif Norman, Stockholm (Original text in Polish)Jean-Paul Sartre said in an interview with Le Monde:“I am surprised that hunger, the threat of nuclear war, and human misery do not permeate all literature.”The same can be said of the visual arts.Who today is able to paint landscapes that are not exploited, not poisoned, not destroyed by humans?How can one be concerned with aesthetic problems when the world is so grim and unaesthetic?That would be an escape from reality, when suffering exceeds human comprehension, when human dignity loses its meaning.I am convinced that the image — both documentary and, above all, artistic — has an important role to play.We hear thousands of words. We read hundreds of books and articles.Yet we are not capable of imagining facts expressed in words.An image can amplify the power of words, it can bring facts to life.I hope that at least one of my images can move the viewer and bring them closer to reality.Leif Norman – StockholmExhibition organized in cooperation with Galleri Lunds Nation – Lund – Sweden — — — Category: letters — Handwritten letter from Leif Norman to the gallery regarding the choice of an image for a postcard. 1/2 + 2/2 — Hi!Here are first and foremost a couple of pictures, with the postcard in mind.I think I've changed my mind (about the one we initially thought of — the chandelier).I don’t think it works so well in small format.I suggest instead that we use the other image I sent (the “image man”).I think it looks good in black and white and also has the right format.Let me know what you think.Leif Norman(over!) — P.S.I will send the remaining material as soon as I can.It's hard to write about oneself.I now have excellent photos of all the paintings, both in colour and in black and white.D.S *D.S. is the abbreviation of "den samme", which literally means "the same one", i.e. "the same person as before" — — — Category: letters — Postal money order sent to Leif Norman by Galerie S:t Petri in Lund (Sweden), 1972 — Sender: Leif NormanG:A Landsvägen 43EKTORPMessage:Hi!Just checking in – the money is here!525 kronor — — — Category: poster — Handwritten notes listing addresses, names, and phone numbers related to Lars-Gösta Lundberg and Tryckare/Ingvar Lundberg in Stockholm, probably in connection with poster production. — Lars-Gösta LundbergGravörgatan 54 (52)Stockholm Ötel. 08 / 618886 (via Ulf Wahlberg)Printer (via Ulf Wahlberg)Ingvar Lundberg (poster)Bastugatan 33Stockholm08 / 682020work: Skebokvarnsvägen 193Högdalen08 / 47 96 60 — — — Category: press — Typewritten and handwritten sheet by Leif Norman, quoting Sartre on the political function of art, followed by a short biography and list of his exhibitions from 1969 to 1971. — Typewritten text:I shouldn't say too much about my pictures. They should speak for themselves as best they can.Instead, I will quote Jean-Paul Sartre. Some years ago, he said the following in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde:“I am surprised that world hunger, the atomic threat, and human distress do not affect all literature.”This could just as well be said about visual art. Who can paint landscapes today unaffected by environmental destruction, poisoning, and overexploitation?How can one deal with aesthetic problems when reality is so cruel and unaesthetic? That is escapism.The suffering is unfathomable. The human dimension is lost, and misery becomes abstract.I believe the image — both pure reportage photography and especially artistic, sharpened images — has an important function to fulfill.We can hear a thousand words, read a thousand pamphlets and newspaper articles, and still not really imagine the reality behind the words.An image CAN make words palpable, make facts come alive,and maybe, maybe one of my pictures will be the “right one” for someone — the image that grips, that makes reality real.Handwritten text:LEIF NORMAN. Born May 19, 1931.EXHIBITIONS:– “Erotic Art”, Liljevalchs, Stockholm, 1969– Nutida Konst, Stockholm, 1969– Galleri Ateneum, Lund, 1970 (solo exhibition)– Nacka City Library, Nacka, 1970 (solo exhibition)– “12 Collagisters”, Sveagalleriet, Stockholm, 1971– Magazine Puss, now and then — — — Category: letters — Handwritten letter by Leif Norman accompanying a short foreword for an exhibition. — Hi!I’ve finally written a short “foreword” for the exhibition, which I’m enclosing here along with the other information.Let me know if you think it’s usable.Regarding the invitation card, it might be best to go with a simple one (without image) for cost reasons.My finances aren’t very stable at the moment.But I’ll give you a call about this.All the best,Leif Norman — — — Category: letters — Handwritten note from “Loffe” (Leif Norman) — Hi!Unfortunately, I couldn’t get hold of issue no. 5.Hope you can get it yourself.See you and talk soon,Loffe — — — Category: invitation — Poster for The Party is Over, an exhibition by Loffe Norman at Galleri 1 (Stockholm), March–April 1972. — Gallery 1 Kåkbrinken 14 Phone 213882 (Old Town)[Image: The Party is Over, 1972]Loffe Norman"Erotic Art" Liljevalchs 1969 Galleri S:t Petri, Lund 1972 (solo exhibition) Krakow and Warsaw 1973 (solo exhibition)Opening 16 March at 1:00 PM Open weekdays 12:00–17:30, Saturdays 12:00–17:00, Sundays 13:00–16:00 Exhibition runs through 3 April