Gustaf Wilhelm Palm

Nationality: Swedish

1810 - 1890

Before beginning formal studies at the Royal Academy of Arts, Stockholm, Palm illustrated books on botany and zoology, revealing an early interest in depicting the natural world. Seeking treatment for an eye disease, he set out for Germany in 1837; while there, he met Vilhelm Kyhn and Johan Christian Clausen Dahl. He continued his tour of northern Europe through Norway, Denmark, and Vienna before arriving in Rome in 1840. For ten years he remained a central figure in the colony of Swedish artists assembled there. Returning to Stockholm in 1852, he taught at the Academy, where he was known as “Palma Vecchio”—Italian for “old Palm.”

Place of Birth: Härlöv, Skåne
Place of Death: Stockholm

Text written and researched by Michelle Bird National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.