Claes Hake

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Claes Hake
Born(1945-02-07)7 February 1945
Mölndal, Sweden
Died16 October 2025(2025-10-16) (aged 80)
EducationValand Art Academy
Known forSculpting
Notable work

Claes Hake (7 February 1945 – 16 October 2025) was a Swedish sculptor. He was known for monumental stone sculptures, which were displayed in public settings such as parks and train stations. Two of his most notable works are Solringen [sv], displayed at the Gothenburg University Library, and the memorial for the victims of the 1998 Gothenburg discotheque fire. His sculptures have been displayed in Scandinavia, Germany, and the United States.[1]

Early life and education

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Hake was born in Mölndal on 7 February 1945. He was dyslexic.[2][3] He was accepted to the Valand Art Academy in 1963, at the age of 17.[4][5] He received his master's degree at 22.[5][6] He was first interested in painting before sculpting.[7]

Career

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In the first ten years after graduating from Valand, he sold just three sculptures. He supported himself working as a stagehand at the Gothenburg City Theatre.[8]

Hake's 1982 bronze sculpture Bohuslän, usually displayed at Gothenburg Central Station, was stolen in 1992. It was later recovered and donated to the city's cultural committee.[9][10] He sculpted Solringen [sv], which was installed in 1993 at the Gothenburg University Library.[7] His 1995 sculpture Arch is displayed in Umedalen skulpturpark.[11] He was awarded a ten-year fellowship from the Swedish Fine Arts Foundation in 1997.[12]

With fellow sculptors Pål Svensson [sv] and Kent Karlsson [sv], he had a group showing in Gothenburg in 2005.[13]

He designed the memorial for the victims of the 1998 Gothenburg discotheque fire. The names of the 62 victims were engraved on a slab of polished blue granite, measuring 10 m (33 ft) long and 2 m (6.6 ft) high.[14] The memorial was unveiled in 2008, on the tenth anniversary of the fire.[15]

His 2020 solo exhibition at the Wetterling Gallery [sv] received praise from Birgitta Rubin [sv] in Dagens Nyheter.[16] In 2024, many of his works (made between 1962 and 2024) were exhibited in a career retrospective at the Nordic Watercolour Museum in Tjörn. The exhibit was acclaimed by Boel Ulfsdotter in Göteborgs-Posten.[17]

He exhibited Döskallar och Dönickar, containing 70 bronze sculptures, at Galleri Thomassen from 13 September to 5 October 2025. Hake was seriously ill at the time of the show, and Karin Frid of Göteborgs-Posten characterised the exhibit as a "chance to say goodbye."[18]

Death

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Hake died on 16 October 2025, at the age of 80.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Tiberg, Cecilia; Lundberg, Rebecca (16 October 2025). "Konstnären Claes Hake är död" [Artist Claes Hake has died]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  2. ^ Callesson, Sofia (20 March 2016). "Han vill skapa livet ut". TTELA (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  3. ^ Soderholm, Carolina (8 June 2024). "RECENSION: Bilden av Hake både bekräftas och nyanseras" [REVIEW: The image of Hake is both confirmed and nuanced]. Norra Skåne (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Nya elever vid Valand" [New students at Valand]. Dagens Nyheter. 18 September 1963. p. 2.
  5. ^ a b Andersson, Jan (16 October 2025). "Göteborgskonstnären Claes Hake är död" [Gothenburg artist Claes Hake has died]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  6. ^ Bergström, Lotta (21 August 2008). "Hake i brons och järnoxid" [Hake in bronze and iron oxide]. Hallands Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b Segraeus, Sara (6 February 2016). "Hake breddar bilden" [Hake broadens the picture]. Folkbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  8. ^ Törnqvist, Arne (5 January 1982). "Att måla i Göteborg är ett ensamt jobb" [Painting in Gothenburg is a lonely job]. Dagens Nyheter. p. 4.
  9. ^ "Ett ton bronsskulptur stulen" [One-ton bronze sculpture stolen]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 29 April 1992. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Skulptur doneras till Göteborg - P4 Göteborg". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Clas Hake – Umedalens Skulpturpark". Umedalen skulpturpark (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  12. ^ "22 nya långtidsstipendiater" [22 new long-term scholarship recipients]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 27 March 1997. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  13. ^ Benkel, Ulf (29 August 2005). "Tror stenhårt på konsten". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  14. ^ Sandberg, Peter (29 October 2008). "Minnesmärke för brandoffren avtäcktes" [Memorial for fire victims unveiled]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  15. ^ Eriksson, Annika H (30 October 2008). "Stämningsfull minnesceremoni - Ekot" [Atmospheric memorial ceremony - Ekot]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  16. ^ Rubin, Birgitta (25 November 2020). "Claes Hakes konst har styrka och schvung" [Claes Hake's art has strength and drive]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  17. ^ Ulfsdotter, Boel (18 February 2025). "Recension: "Jag drabbas omedelbart att kraften hos Claes Hake", skriver Boel Ulfsdotter" [Review: “I am immediately struck by the power of Claes Hake,” writes Boel Ulfsdotter.]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  18. ^ Frid, Karin (13 September 2025). "Recension: Det är känslosamt att möta Claes Hakes filurer" [Review: It is emotional to encounter Claes Hake's characters]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  19. ^ Thordén, Edvard (16 October 2025). "Claes Hake fick betraktaren att känna både vördnad och litenhet" [Claes Hake made the viewer feel both awe and humility]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
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