Anders Årfelt

{{Short description|Swedish sculptor (born 1934)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}

File:Anders Årfelt (FFT filtered).jpg

Per Anders Årfelt (born 8 March 1934){{cite web|url=https://www.lexikonettamanda.se/show.php?aid=23634|title=Anders Årfelt|publisher=Lexikonett amanda|language=sv|access-date=3 October 2024}} is a Swedish sculptor.

He is based on Gotland, Sweden's largest island, and often works in concrete.{{cite news |last1=Kurelid |first1=Johan |title=Anders lejon kan ha räddat flera liv |url=https://helagotland.se/nyheter/dadet-i-stockholm-gt/artikel/anders-lejon-kan-ha-raddat-flera-liv/rx53q3yj |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=helagotland.se |date=13 April 2017 |language=sv}}{{cite news |title=Nya större lejon ska göra Stockholms gator säkrare |url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/ost/nya-storre-lejon-ska-gora-stockholms-gator-sakrare |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=SVT Nyheter |date=27 February 2018 |language=sv}} He produced a concrete sculpture of a ram, which appears on the coat of arms of Gotland, for Österport in Visby in 1992. This was a development of an earlier lamb sculpture he made for the Melonen district of the town. The ram proved popular and he was commissioned to create copies for other municipalities on the island.{{cite web |title=Utomhuskonst i Gotlands kommun |url=http://195.67.126.40/lansmuseetgotland/GK.utomhuskonst/arfelt.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525141340/http://195.67.126.40/lansmuseetgotland/GK.utomhuskonst/arfelt.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-05-25 |website=Gotland Museum |access-date=16 August 2024 |date=25 May 2012}}

Årfelt was commissioned to sculpt lions in the style of the rams for Stockholm; lions feature as supporters on the coat of arms of Sweden. A total of 38 lions in male and female forms were placed in the street of Drottninggatan.{{cite news |title=Konstnären: "Lejonen borde förankras i marken" |url=https://www.dn.se/sthlm/konstnaren-lejonen-borde-forankras-i-marken/ |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=Dagens Nyheter|date=12 April 2017 |language=sv}} The lions weighed {{convert|900|kg}} each.

The truck driven by the terrorist in the 7 April 2017 vehicle ramming attack on Drottninggatan struck several of the lion sculptures and came to a halt next to one that it overturned. The lions potentially slowed the truck and saved lives, though five people were killed in the attack.{{cite news |title=Därför borde betonglejonet som räddade Stockholm bli en staty – Metro Mode |url=https://metromode.se/noje/darfor-borde-betonglejonet-som-raddade-stockholm-bli-en-staty/ |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=metromode.se |date=12 April 2017 |language=sv-SE}} The overturned lion became the site of tributes to the dead and there were calls for it to be recreated in bronze. After the attack Årfelt said that the lions symbolise power and strength.

In the aftermath of the attack the city of Stockholm commissioned further lion sculptures from Årfelt to help protect the city. These were larger, measuring {{convert|1|m}} in height and {{convert|3|tonnes}} in weight, than the originals and so more likely to stop larger vehicles.{{cite news |title=Nya större betonglejon placerades ut på Drottninggatan {{!}} Stockholms stad |url=https://via.tt.se/pressmeddelande/2353025/nya-storre-betonglejon-placerades-ut-pa-drottninggatan?publisherId=1213538 |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=via.tt.se |date=22 March 2018 |language=sv}} Two were originally ordered as prototypes but by March 2019 four were installed on Drottninggatan and a further 16 were in production.{{cite news |title=Nu vaktar nya betonglejon Drottninggatan |url=https://www.svd.se/a/e1y2eg/nu-vaktar-nya-betonglejon-drottninggatan |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=Svenska Dagbladet |date=22 March 2018 |language=sv}} The new lion sculptures were manufactured at a Skanska factory on Gotland.

In February 2017 a series of 20 {{ill|Säfstaholm apple|sv|Sävstaholm (äpple)}} sculptures commissioned from Årfelt were installed in Sweden.{{cite news |last1=Bäck |first1=Klas-Göran |title=Äppleskulpturer placeras nu ut |url=https://kkuriren.se/nyheter/ovrigt/artikel/appleskulpturer-placeras-nu-ut/r9x584vr |access-date=16 August 2024 |work=kkuriren.se |date=8 February 2017 |language=sv}}