Anders Årfelt
Per Anders Årfelt | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 8, 1934 Sweden |
| Occupation | Sculptor |
| Known for | Concrete sculptures of animals, including ram statue in Visby and lion sculptures on Drottninggatan in Stockholm |
Per Anders Årfelt (born 8 March 1934) is a Swedish artist specializing in sculpture, residing on Gotland, the largest island in Sweden. His work predominantly involves concrete as a medium. In 1992, he crafted a concrete ram statue for Österport in Visby, inspired by an earlier lamb figure created for the Melonen neighborhood. This ram sculpture, which appears on Gotland's coat of arms, gained significant acclaim and led to orders for replicas in various other municipalities across the island.
Subsequently, Årfelt was tasked with producing lion sculptures representing the supporters found on the coat of arms of Sweden for Stockholm’s Drottninggatan. A total of 38 lions, both male and female and each weighing , were positioned along the thoroughfare. During the vehicle ramming incident on Drottninggatan on 7 April 2017, these statues likely contributed to slowing the attacker’s truck, thereby reducing potential casualties despite five fatalities. The lion sculpture that was toppled during the event became a site of remembrance, inspiring suggestions for a bronze version to be made. Årfelt characterized these lions as emblems of strength and authority.
In response to the attack, Stockholm commissioned larger lion sculptures—standing tall and weighing —to improve street security. The city initially ordered two prototypes; by March 2019, four had been installed on Drottninggatan, with an additional sixteen being produced at a Skanska facility on Gotland.
In addition to his work with animal figures, Årfelt completed a collection of 20 Sävstaholm apple sculptures in February 2017, which were distributed throughout Sweden.