Carl Oscar Borg Art
American, 1879-1947
Carl Oscar Borg was a Swedish-American painter, illustrator, and printmaker best known for his luminous landscapes of the American West and his sensitive portrayals of Native American life. Born in Grinstad, Dalsland, Sweden, he left home at the age of 15 to work as a house painter. His artistic talent and ambition led him to London, where he briefly worked as an assistant to the renowned portraitist Anders Zorn before sailing to America around the turn of the century.
Borg arrived in California in 1901 and quickly found his artistic home in the dramatic light and landscape of the American Southwest. He became associated with the California Impressionist movement and was one of the earliest non-Indigenous artists to travel and paint extensively in Navajo and Hopi lands. His deep respect for Indigenous culture and his ability to capture the spiritual vastness of the desert made his work both artistically distinctive and historically valuable.
Throughout his career, Borg worked across media—oil, watercolor, gouache, and etching—developing a bold, expressive style characterized by clarity of form, vibrant color, and masterful use of light. He was a founding member of the Painter-Etchers Society in Los Angeles and held teaching positions at the Santa Barbara School of the Arts and the University of California.
His work was widely exhibited in the United States and Europe during his lifetime, and he received numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. Though most associated with the American West, Borg never forgot his Scandinavian roots. A number of rare early works depict Swedish and Norwegian landscapes, painted before his emigration.
Today, Carl Oscar Borg is recognized as a vital link between European academic training and the emerging modern visual identity of the American West. His legacy is preserved in major museum collections and continues to resonate with collectors and scholars alike.to
6
4
4
2
2
1
Valley View with Pines and Distant Peaks, Sierra Nevada (Possibly Yosemite)
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Stockholm, SE
This luminous gouache captures a majestic mountain vista, likely set in California’s Sierra Nevada (possibly Yosemite). Two broad granite peaks with sunlit faces dominate the backgro...
Category
Early 20th Century Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Blue Mountains, New Mexico
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Stockholm, SE
In this luminous landscape study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the serene beauty of the New Mexican high desert, likely looking toward Mount Taylor, a sacred peak that rises above the su...
Category
Early 20th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Gouache
Arizona Landscape – Dramatic Skies and Desert Light by Carl Oscar Borg
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Stockholm, SE
In this expressive gouache study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the dramatic sweep of the Arizona highlands, where storm clouds gather over layered mesas and valleys bathed in shifting li...
Category
Early 20th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Gouache
An Old Military Road, The Road over Dovrefjell, Norway
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Stockholm, SE
Carl Oscar Borg (1879–1947)
An Old Military Road, The Road over Dovrefjell, Norway
gouache on paper, ca. 1900
signed
sheet 12.5 cm x 17.5 (4.9 x 6.9 in)
framed 23 × 28 cm (9 × 11...
Category
1890s American Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Gathered by the Easter Fire, Dalsland
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Stockholm, SE
A rare and atmospheric work from Carl Oscar Borg’s early years in Sweden, this evocative gouache captures the tradition of Easter fires (påskeldar) in the rural region of Dalsland. A...
Category
Late 19th Century American Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Inscription Rock, New Mexico – Southwest Light in Gouache by Carl Oscar Borg
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Stockholm, SE
Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947) Swedish/American
Inscription Rock, New Mexico
gouache on card
signed CARL OSCAR BORG.
unframed: 12 x 17.5 cm (4 3/4 x 6 7/8 in)
framed: 22 x 27 cm (8 5/...
Category
Early 20th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Gouache
Related Items
British Mid 20th Century Impressionist Painting Busy Figures By Rowing Boats
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Frank Duffield (British, 1908-1982)
original gouache painting on artist paper, unframed
size: 12 x 15 inches
condition: overall very good, minor wear to the edges as is normal for an unframed work, minor staining from age/ light to the surface
provenance: from a large private collection of this artists work in the UK.
The artist:
Born in Warwick in 1901, Duffield came to Bristol at the age of 23 as an artist at the studio of Mardon Son and Hall. He worked as an illustrator producing designs for cigarette cards, remaining with the company for 37 years until his retirement. He was elected an Artist Member of the Bristol Savages...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Gouache
English School, circa 1800 Georgian watercolor, The Sailor's return
Located in Harkstead, GB
A delightful rustic scene dating to circa 1800 with the sailor returning to his thankful wife and the domestic idyll of his country cottage. The harbour with sailing ships ferrying c...
Category
Early 19th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Watercolor, Laid Paper
$267 Sale Price
30% Off
H 6.5 in W 8.5 in D 1 in
Pretty Woman in a Red & White Dress with Flowers in Her Bonnet (Impressionist)
By Lucius Rossi
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Lucius Rossi (1846-1913) was an Italian portrait and figurative painter who worked and lived in Paris. He was a friend and painter of many of the High Society people in Paris. A pain...
Category
Late 19th Century Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Watercolor, Laid Paper
$1,700
H 12.75 in W 8.75 in
Cowboy in the Canyon, Small Contemporary Multicolor Abstract Figural Landscape
By Tiffanie Mang
Located in Soquel, CA
Small-scale yet bold multi-colored abstracted figurative landscape of a horse rider in a canyon (a study after Edgar Payne’s works) by Tiffanie Mang (Ameri...
Category
2010s American Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Gouache, Cardboard
$700 Sale Price
20% Off
H 9.5 in W 9.5 in D 0.13 in
Romantic Landscape of Scandinavian Enchanted Forest, Large Lake Print Cyanotype
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype.
Lovely scene of a hidden pond in a Scandinavian forest.
Details:
+ Title: Scandinavian Enchanted Forest
+ Year: 2024
+ ...
Category
2010s Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, C Print, Co...
$336 Sale Price
20% Off
H 28 in W 40 in
Landscape Watercolour, Lake and View to the Mountains
Located in Cotignac, FR
Watercolour landscape of a lake and surrounding mountains by Nano. The painting is signed bottom left and presented in a fine period gilt frame under glass.
This painting portrays a...
Category
Early 20th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache
Roman Facade, Italy (Exquisite 19th-c. Original Watercolor, Signed)
Located in New Orleans, LA
Sorry for the reflections on the glass, but I didn't want to take this lovely frame apart. The close-ups are much better. This is a highly accomplished, superbly detailed watercolor of a the facade of a building in Rome, depicting Corinthian columns, a frieze and a free-standing tributary sculpture above. Image area itself is 10.5" x 6.25", framed size is 19.5" x 14". Matted and presented in a pretty antique wood frame that has some flaws from an apparently long history but is perfectly serviceable, as you can see. Exquisite detail, so hard to accomplish with watercolor. Came from august Houston...
Category
19th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Watercolor
$636 Sale Price
20% Off
H 19.5 in W 14 in
Gouache Of A Shipwreck In A Storm With Gothic Ruins. Early 19th Century
Located in Firenze, IT
Gouache of a Shipwreck in a Storm with Gothic Ruins, Early 19th Century
Technique: Gouache on paper
Period: Early 19th century
Description: This romantic painting depicts a dramatic ...
Category
Early 19th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Gouache, Tempera, Paper
$1,435 Sale Price
20% Off
H 18.12 in W 22.45 in
House at the Beach, Baja California Figurative Landscape
By David Stephens
Located in Soquel, CA
Colors of tropical waters create a light and breezy mood in this figurative landscape watercolor by David Stephens (American, 20th century). Signed lower left, "D. Stephens." Present...
Category
1990s American Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$899
H 29.5 in W 37.5 in D 0.88 in
Egyptian Buffalo & Farmers 19th Century American Orientalist Framed Watercolor
By Edwin Lord Weeks
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Edwin Lord Weeks.
American ( b.1849 - d.1903 ).
Egyptian Buffalo And Farmers, Egypt.
Watercolor On Paper.
Monogram Lower Right.
Image size 5.1 inches x 8.3 inches ( 13cm x 21cm ).
F...
Category
Mid-19th Century Romantic Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
$2,621
H 10.04 in W 13.59 in D 0.48 in
View of Montmartre, la place du tertre Paris by Frank Will
By Frank Will
Located in PARIS, FR
Painter and Aquarellist. Nanterre (92) March 13th 1900 – Clichy (Seine) Dec 29th 1950.
He was the son of Frank Boggs, an American citizen. He started his career with the nickname “Wi...
Category
1930s Post-Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Tempera, Watercolor
$1,141
H 9.06 in W 11.82 in D 0.4 in
Sailboats on the Beach - Seascape
Located in Soquel, CA
Idyllic harbor seascape by ML Pfeffer (20th Century). Two boats are on the shore, undergoing preparations for sailing. A large cliff wraps around from the left to create a natural ha...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Previously Available Items
Carmel Beach Plein Air Seascape 1920s
By Carl Oscar Borg
Located in Soquel, CA
Gorgeous vintage plein air Carmel by the Sea seascape by Carl Oscar Borg (Sweden/American, 1879-1947), circa 1920s. Signed lower left corner. Condition: Good. Presented in carved rustic wood frame. Image size 8.5"H x 10.5"W. Framed size: 13"H x 15"W x 1"D. This scene is looking from below "Mansion Overlook" and looking past "Near Point" in the foreground and Carmel Beach mid-way and then and Pebble Beach in the distance. Carl embodied all the old favorites in one painting and this is a rare new find and "Treasure". Original packaging from H. Valdespino Gallery and framer. A well known gallery in early San Francisco...
Category
1920s American Impressionist Carl Oscar Borg Art
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Carl Oscar Borg art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Carl Oscar Borg art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Carl Oscar Borg in board, cardboard, oil paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1920s and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Carl Oscar Borg art, so small editions measuring 15 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Chauncey Foster Ryder, Robert Hallowell, and Albert Van Nesse Greene. Carl Oscar Borg art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,000 and tops out at $6,000, while the average work can sell for $6,000.