Who draws portraits of Nobel Prize winners?

Niklas Elmehed and portraits of the 2024 Nobel Prize winners in economics - Photo: Niklas Elmehed

These are portraits of Nobel Prize winners drawn with bold black lines, dotted with brilliant yellow details.

The main author is Niklas Elmehed - the official portrait artist for Nobel Prize winners - since 2012.

As one of the few people who had early access to the list of laureates before it became public, Elmehed was tasked with creating the first official image of each laureate, a tradition that has continued for more than a decade.

Where did this partnership begin?

According to Dhaka Tribune , the cause started with a shortage of high-quality photos of winners in the field of science .

When Elmehed was first hired as art director of Nobel Media, the communications department for the Nobel Prize, he often struggled to find images that could be used for announcements about the prestigious award.

So Elmehed's initial black marker sketches in 2012 quickly made such a splash that many major media outlets used them to publicize prize winners.

The characteristic yellow color used by Niklas Elmehed in portrait painting - Photo: Niklas Elmehed

By 2017, Elmehed took his work to the next level. Nobel Media introduced yellow as the primary color for announcements, and from there, Elmehed experimented with different types of yellow paint.

Ultimately, he chose to use gold leaf, a thin metal sheet that is glued to the piece with a special glue.

The combination of gold leaf and bold black strokes creates a powerful and unique visual impact – an image that has now become synonymous with the Nobel Prize.

While Elmehed's work with Nobel Media is perhaps his most widely known contribution, it is only one part of Elmehed's artistic career.

Iconic tradition

When he's not drawing portraits of award winners, Elmehed spends his time on other creative projects, including motion graphics for clients like the Swedish national football team.

Niklas Elmehed and portraits of scientists winning the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Photo: Niklas Elmehed

Despite his close contact with the world's most distinguished scholars, Elmehed reveals on his website that he has never received direct feedback from Nobel laureates about their portraits.

He joked that the reason was probably due to the busyness and overwhelming attention that the winners faced immediately after the announcement, leaving little time for them to reflect on their official portraits.

Meanwhile, the public received his work enthusiastically, with Elmehed's portraits becoming an integral part of the Nobel tradition.

What started as a practical solution to a logistical problem has grown into an iconic annual tradition. Elmehed's portraits are more than just depictions of the winners, they are a tribute to their achievements.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ai-ve-chan-dung-nhung-nguoi-doat-giai-nobel-20241018103317427.htm