Ystad skulpturpark

A little frisky foal in natural scale stands on Östergatan with its muzzle pointing towards the main square, Stortorget. Åke Jönsson has truly succeeded in capturing an inquisitive foal’s body movements and it is easy to imagine it happily gambolling forward at any moment. It is clearly irresistible to children, who are often seen sitting on the foal’s back and clinging on to its ears. The effect of all this riding can be observed in the polished surfaces of the bronze. It is also one of the sculptures that gets most attention in Ystad, due to its location in the middle of the town’s main pedestrianised shopping street. The sculpture was completed in 1972. It was acquired by Ystad’s Culture Committee in 1993, but no special location was earmarked, so initially it was placed at the entrance of Ystad Art Museum. In 1994, it was decided that The Foal would be placed in the pedestrianised street and it has proved to be the perfect location. Incidentally, The Foal’s mother and sibling can be seen outside Karlsrobadet – a swimming pool facility in Eslöv.

Åke Jönsson grew up in simple conditions in a farming environment in Osby, in north-east Skåne. In 1941, his great interest in art took him to the School of Applied Arts in Stockholm, the forerunner of Konstfack – the University of Arts, Crafts and Design. His work began to focus on sculpture at an early stage. Between 1953 and 1961, he was a teacher at Valand in Gothenburg. His work can be seen at places such as the Gothenburg Museum of Art, National Museum and Moderna Museet in Stockholm.

Another of his works – De sköna konsternas vagn (The Chariot of the Fine Arts) – can be seen in Ystad, on the facade of Ystad Art Museum.