Fascinating to hear fresh ideas about Sven Berlin in Martin Shaw's talk at Field System gallery.

In 1963, long before Sven Berlin came into his life, Anthony Green took his mother Freda to the Panorama Tea Rooms at the Mayes Department Store in Southampton. He still recalls Sven’s colourful paintings on the walls and not thinking much about them, probably concentrating on the tea and cake! In the 1960s Sven Berlin was exhibiting everywhere. This slightly random show called One Man’s Paintings which ran from November 21st to December 10th (and was extended to December 27t

This time of year always reminds me of trips to the theatre, pantos and variety shows.  In the cold dark winters of the 1930s the public needed all the jollity possible and Sven Berlin and his adagio dancing partner and wife-to-be Helga were making a great success of their career on stage. Sven Berlin and Helga in the 1930s This splendidly theatrical photograph (which came to us from the family’s archive) dates to the 1930s and shows Helga wearing a truly furry warm coat and

One of the most timeless of Sven Berlin's oils is Forest Moon , from 1966, a striking landscape which he created with his usual confidence and spontaneity. Here at Leominstead Lake, Emery Down, Sven would come to fish and find solace in the peace. The December of 1965 had been a Christmas of hard drinking in the New Forest pubs, with Sven passing out on Christmas Eve, an event he blamed on medication he had been taking for bronchitis. His friend John Paddy Browne was encour

The autumn mushrooms were in abundance below the beech trees. Sven's well-observed oil painting captures the damp mossy habitat.

Today (14th September) is Sven Berlin's birthday. He was born in 1911.

I was reminded of Sven's connections with Veterans of WW2 this week when I gave a talk for the members of the British Legion in Bartley,...