Liselott’s Guide to Axel Ebbe

Explore Axel Ebbe’s art in Trelleborgs Stadspark

In Skåne, we enrich body and soul with art and culture excursions! Join Trelleborgs Museum’s art superintendent Liselott Hylén on an exciting art walk in the footsteps of Axel Ebbe. Discover the artist’s public works in and around Trelleborg’s lush City Park and finish with a coffee at one of the city’s cafes. You can take the walk at your own pace. Axel Ebbe (1868-1941) was an artist born in Hököpinge who became a respected sculptor, writer, and graphic artist. In the early 1900s, Axel Ebbe was one of Sweden’s most famous sculptors, and his works can be admired in many cities across Skåne. Perhaps you are familiar with “Arbetets Ära” in Möllevångstorget in Malmö or “Mannen som bryter sig ur” in Universitetsplatsen in Lund? However, he is probably most famous for his graceful sculptures of female figures, such as “Solrosen” in Kungsparken in Malmö and “Famntaget” in Smygehuk.

“What fascinates me about Axel Ebbe’s works is how classical sculpture is imbued with symbolism,” says Liselott. “The stunning woman, Ebbe’s portrayal of the female ideal of the past, may be what initially captures the eye, but upon closer inspection, there is usually a twist. The beauty is juxtaposed with something slightly unsettling or imaginative. For Axel Ebbe, the idea behind the works was almost more important than the result itself, and the titles are always well thought out and precise.”

Liselott Hylén, art Superintendent Trelleborgs Museum 

Discover art in Trelleborgs Stadspark

Irrbloss

Next to the art gallery lies the City Park, and in the bird pond stands Axel Ebbe’s “Will-o’-the-Wisp.” A graceful and elegant female creature effortlessly balances on one leg atop a skull. In one hand, she holds a flame. Beauty meets discomfort once again.

A will-o’-the-wisp was a mythological creature with roots in folklore and the world of fairy tales. A wandering spirit that did as much good as harm in life and therefore neither went to heaven nor hell. Another belief was that the will-o’-the-wisp was someone who had been tricked into walking into a bog and, after their death, became a will-o’-the-wisp – a flame that would forever dance around the place they died.

The sculpture was inaugurated in 1919 and was the first public artwork in Trelleborg.

På Demantehällen

In the fountain sculpture next to Axel Ebbe’s Art Gallery, we see two sea nymphs trying to defend themselves against a chubby boyish figure with an unpleasant countenance. The beautiful, graceful female figures stand in sharp contrast to the discomforting presence. The boyish figure is attempting to grasp the tail of one of the mermaids and pull her towards him while she tries to stay on the rocky ledge.

“Deep in the sea on diamond rocks, the nixie rests in the green hall,” wrote Arvid August Afzelius in the song “The Nixie’s Polska” from 1904. Perhaps this is where Axel Ebbe drew the title of the artwork? Is it the Nixie and Ægir’s daughters that the sculpture is about? The Nixie embodied various dangers in waterways and sometimes tried to lure people to drown them. It’s no wonder if the female figures are trying to escape from there. The fountain sculpture also exists as a public artwork in Hässleholm.

 

Leksaken

On the façade of the art gallery, there is the relief “The Toy.” A cherub with curly hair and angel wings battles with a little demon with claws, a tail, and pointed wings. They tug and pull at a toy – a small sphere representing the globe. The demon holds the sphere close to its body, while the angelic child tries with all its might to pull it towards itself. A struggle between good and evil.

 

Sjöormsfontänen

If you walk westward through the city park to Stortorget, you’ll encounter the magnificent Sjöormen. This fountain is not some modest creation – it’s grand, extravagant, and powerful! Standing at 4 meters high, and if the sea serpent could stretch out, it would be a whopping 50 meters long.

A fair mermaid with flowing hair struggles to master a lively sea serpent, whose long slender body swirls around and forms the shape of the fountain. Water cascades down from the sea serpent’s jaws over its back and the mermaid. The motif depicts a struggle between something beautiful and slightly frightening or menacing – a recurring theme in Axel Ebbe’s work. One wonders if it’s a battle where she masters the sea serpent or if it’s her mode of transportation?

 

 

 

Kyrkogrimen

The sculpture guarding the entrance to the art gallery could, with effective lighting in the evening, scare even the bravest. Far back in time, animals were sacrificed during the construction of churches and sanctuaries to provide protection to the building at night – a church grim. Did Axel Ebbe want to protect his sanctuary? Fortunately, no animal had to sacrifice its life here, but a church grim was created. Here, in the form of a winged creature that is a mixture of a gargoyle and a ram.

 

Axel Ebbes Konsthall

The best place to start the art walk is at Axel Ebbe’s own Art Gallery. The gallery is currently only open during the summer, but it’s an architectural gem, and several of the artist’s works are in the facade and in the surrounding environment. The art gallery was inaugurated in 1935, and Axel Ebbe himself was involved in its design together with the architect Carl-Axel Stoltz.

Axel Ebbe’s art gallery is closed for renovation and is expected to reopen in 2025.