Swedish artist Niklas Elmehed is the creative mind behind the official portraits of Nobel Prize winners, including the 2025 laureates. Although he remains largely anonymous to the public, his artwork is instantly recognised every October when the Nobel Prize organisation announces its new laureates. Millions of people and media outlets around the world share his images each year.

Since 2012, Elmehed has been entrusted with painting the winners, ensuring that their first official image is visually striking and high quality. While he is not a member of the Nobel committee, he is among the very few who see the names of the laureates before the public.

Meet the person behind the illustrations of the 2025 Nobel Prize laureates out artist Niklas Elmehed. Here he is painting the illustrations for our new medicine laureates, Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi.#NobelPrize twitter/3gq9iQsWK0

- The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 16, 2025

Why paintings instead of photographs

Elmehed explained that the shift to painted portraits was born out of necessity.“Many of the science laureates are difficult to photograph. Low-resolution images are often the only ones available online,” he told media in a previous interview. Before 2012, announcements were accompanied by these poor-quality photos, which often failed to capture the distinction of the laureates.

His paintings, in contrast, offer clarity, style, and prestige, creating a consistent and high-quality visual presentation for the Nobel Prize announcements.

The signature gold foil style

In 2017, the Nobel Prize announcements underwent a graphical makeover, choosing gold as the main theme colour. Elmehed experimented with various gold paints but settled on gold foil, a thin metallic sheet applied to the paintings using special glue. Combined with black outlines on a white background, this technique gives his portraits a unique and elegant visual impact.

“I experimented a lot and fell in love with gold foil. Together with black outlines, I think the portraits have a very strong and exclusive effect,” he told Popular Science.

Working under tight timelines

Elmehed does not disclose how far in advance he learns the winners' names but notes that he works rapidly, often completing a portrait in just a few hours. His speed and precision allow the Nobel Media to release official images immediately after the laureates are announced.

As Art Director of Nobel Media, Elmehed oversees all visual content during the announcements, ensuring each portrait maintains the high standards expected of the prestigious event.

A global audience

Although Niklas Elmehed remains an anonymous celebrity, his work reaches millions worldwide. From science and literature to peace and economics, every Nobel laureate's portrait painted by him becomes part of history. By replacing low-resolution photographs with stunning artworks, Elmehed has transformed how the world first sees these celebrated innovators and thinkers.

His portraits are now an essential part of the Nobel Prize tradition, combining art, technology, and global recognition in a unique and memorable way.

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