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Renowned Swedish-Born Artist Honored

In 1638, decades before William Penn and his fellow Quakers arrived in Pennsylvania, a small group of Swedish settlers founded the “New Sweden Colony” along the banks of the Delaware River.

Today, traces of Philadelphia’s Swedish heritage are easy to find. For instance, take the city’s flag, which, with its three vertical stripes of blue, gold and blue, strongly resembles Sweden’s national flag. 

Swedish and Swedish-American cultural, heritage and traditions are preserved and promoted by the American Swedish Historical Museum in South Philadelphia. And as WRTI’s Jim Cotter reports, the museum is honoring a well-known living Swedish-American artist with strong ties to Philadelphia.

ClaesOldenburgJCLF.mp3
Listen to Jim Cotter's archive interview with artist Claes Oldenburg.