Every October, after the Nobel Prize winners are announced, the world gets to admire iconic portraits.
These portraits of Nobel laureates are painted with bold black strokes, accented with vibrant golden details.
Niklas Elmehed and the portraits of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics – (Photo: Niklas Elmehed).
The main artist is Niklas Elmehed, the official portrait artist for Nobel laureates since 2012.
As one of the few individuals to gain early access to the list of winners before the public announcement, Elmehed is tasked with creating the first official image of each laureate, maintaining this tradition for over a decade.
Where did this collaboration begin?
According to Dhaka Tribune, the collaboration began due to a lack of high-quality images of Nobel laureates in the field of science.
When Elmehed was first hired as the art director for Nobel Media – the department responsible for the communications of the Nobel Prize, he often struggled to find usable images for announcements related to this prestigious award.
This led to Elmehed’s initial sketches in black ink in 2012 quickly making a strong impression on major media outlets, which began using them to announce the winners.
The signature gold color used by Niklas Elmehed in his portrait work – (Photo: Niklas Elmehed).
By 2017, Elmehed elevated his work to a new level. Nobel Media introduced gold as the primary color for announcements, prompting Elmehed to experiment with various shades of gold paint.
Ultimately, he chose to use gold leaf, a thin metal leaf applied to the artwork with a special adhesive.
The combination of gold leaf and bold black strokes creates a powerful and unique visual impression – an image that is now synonymous with the Nobel brand.
While Elmehed’s work with Nobel Media may be his most widely recognized contribution, it is just one part of his artistic career.
An Iconic Tradition
When not painting portraits of Nobel laureates, Elmehed spends time on other creative projects, including motion graphics for clients such as the Swedish national football team.
Niklas Elmehed and the portrait of the scientists awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry – (Photo: Niklas Elmehed).
Despite his close interactions with some of the world’s most outstanding scholars, Elmehed revealed on his website that he has never received direct feedback from Nobel laureates about their portraits.
He jokingly suggests that this is likely due to the busyness and overwhelming attention that laureates face immediately following the announcement, leaving little time for reflection on their official portraits.
In the meantime, the public has warmly embraced his works, with Elmehed’s portraits becoming an integral part of the Nobel tradition.
What began as a practical solution to a logistical issue has evolved into an iconic annual tradition. Elmehed’s portraits serve not only as representations of the laureates but also as a tribute to their achievements.
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