Lars Sivik, research professor

After finishing high school and obligatory military service, Lars Sivik acquired teaching credentials and a few years later also became a licensed psychologist and psychotherapist. Both as a teacher and a psychologist he worked mostly with emotionally disturbed children, both in Stockholm (Barnbyn Ska) and Gothenburg. Following this, he returned to university for further studies resulting in a doctoral thesis, based on investigations into colour perception including colour connotations and meaning in various contexts. He then became a university teacher, and later Research Prof., at the Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg,as well as Chalmers Technical University, and Royal Technical University in Stockholm. From 1967 Lars Sivik worked with Prof. Anders Hard in a team that, funded primarily by The Swedish Building Research Council, for several decades did research on colour perception, color systems, analysis of the nature of color combinations, colour connotations and other areas of colour experience. To a large extent the work comprised standardizing of color systems and international dissemination of color knowledge. The colour systematization work resulted in the Natural Colour System, NCS, which is now becoming a dominant color system over the world. Throughout his career, Lars Sivik has lectured at a number of universities worldwide, and has also had many consulting assignments concerning practical color applications. He has also been active in AIC (Association Internationale de la Couleur) and was in 1997, together with Anders Hard and Gunnar Tonnquist, rewarded with the Judd AIC scientific award. Since 2018 Lars Sivik and his wife, prof. Tatjana Sivik, live permanently in Lucca, Toscana, Italy