The Swedish modernist painter Nils von Dardel (1888–1943) was an integral part of the avant-garde of his time. Dardel's artistic and individual expressions developed from a dandy persona, who expressed dark personal conflicts, into a more integrated humanist perspective signified by love, jealousy, ambivalent sexuality, life and death, and the absurdity of existence. It was generally a turn from negation to optimistic values, as well as to universalism. His art – ironic and bizarre – has been continuously provoking from his premature death in New York City into the postmodern 20-s century. In order to add to the international scholarly discussion, the current article sheds light on this fascinating artist's life, work, and persona. Moreover, it juxtaposes some aspects of Dardel with those of the Swedish writer and painter August Strindberg (1849–1912), as well as the Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima (1925–1970).