Max Walter Svanberg (1912-1994) was a Swedish artist primarily associated with Surrealism. Born in Malmö, Sweden on February 21, 1912, he died on May 28, 1994, in Limhamn, Sweden.
Svanberg's artistic journey began in Malmö, where he worked as a promotional painter. He pursued formal art education at the Scanie Painting School in Malmö (from 1931) and later at the Otte Sköld Academy in Stockholm (1933-1934).
In 1943, Svanberg co-founded the Minotaur group, which had Surrealist inclinations. This group was short-lived. In 1946, he was involved in the creation of the Imaginist group. However, he later distanced himself from this group.
A significant turning point in Svanberg's career occurred in 1953 when he was invited to join the Surrealist group in Paris led by André Breton. Breton was notably drawn to Svanberg's work, which often featured depictions of women's bodies intertwined with elements of flora and fauna, often carrying erotic connotations. Breton featured Svanberg's work in the third issue of Medium magazine in 1954 and organized a solo exhibition for him at the Galerie de l'Étoile Scellée in Paris in 1955.
Svanberg worked across various media, including painting, drawing, illustration, collage, and lithography. His style is characterized by a personal and imaginative visual language, often with exotic and vibrant colors, revealing influences from Byzantine art and a reminiscence of African aesthetics. His extensive range of techniques and media spanned drawing, painting, collage, bead mosaics, and even theatre costumes.
In 1965, Svanberg was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal for painting in Sweden.