At Lilla Östergatan 6 is an intimate paved area surrounded by the small-scale, half-timbered environment that is typical of the old town centre of Ystad. Here we find three sculptures in marble by Evert Fornäs, which together have the title Protecting, Together and Close. They were created at different times: in 1987, 1985 and 1992. The sculptures were donated to Ystad Municipality in 2010 and the Director of Ystad Art Museum, Yrr Jonasdottir, ensured that they were located here.
Evert Fornäs was a self-taught artist. He began his artistic career as a painter and then went over to sculpture. Evert Fornäs experimented with different stone materials, but also hard-burnt ceramics, as sculptural material. Round asymmetric shapes are a distinguishing feature of his work. He once said: “If you leave perfect symmetry behind and bring asymmetry into the work, exciting things start to happen”. In another quote, he says “It is the ability to see differences, not similarities, that determines the quality of the work”.
Evert Fornäs saw himself as a classical sculptor and was inspired by great masters such as Michelangelo and Brancusi. His work can be seen in places such as Norrköping, Linköping and Malmö.
Another of his works – Stenkil (Stone Wedge) – can be seen in Ystad, at Ystad Marina.