Gretas Gerell's mother early encouraged her daughter's artistic ability and as a 17-year-old she was accepted as one of the youngest students ever at the Stockholm School of Art. In the 1920s she studied with André Lhote in Paris, received a scholarship to Florence in Italy and also spent some time in Munich for art studies.

Gerell's first separate exhibition was at Gummeson's art store in Stockholm in 1927. The exhibition was a great success, praised by the critics and many significant art collectors acquired an artwork. Gerell's earliest artwork is characterized by realistically depicted landscapes and animal motifs influenced by Impressionism.

During the 1920s, her painting changed, which became curious with a tranquil ra...