John Sjösvärd was born in Linköping. He studied at the Higher Art Industrial School in Stockholm (today Konstfack) and graduated in 1915. He was a painter and his favorite motifs were horses and military scenes. He worked with advertising and vook covers as well as illustrations. In 1956 he made the poster for the Equestrian Olympis, that was held in Stockholm. The poster was printed in 40 000 copies and in four languages: Swedish, English, French and German.
