Brother of artist Axel Olson. Olson is represented, for example, at the National Museum and the Museum of Modern Artist Erik Olson is known as a Swedish surrealist.
He devoted himself to dream-like, over realistic artwork.
After school he started to work as a company copier. In the evenings he cultivated his main interest, drawing and painting, by studying at Halmstad Technical School.
In the summer of 1919, they met the established artist Gosta Adrian-Nilsson (GAN). This meeting influenced them strongly, impressed by his painting and his art theories.
In 1924 Olson went to Paris together with Waldemar Lorentzon.
They became students of Fernand Léger"s painting academy Academie Moderne and the school spirit of cubism. Between December 1924 and March 1925 Eric Olson went to Italy for further studies. After his military service, he returned to Paris in 1927 and started working for Léger.
Late in the year 1930, he painted "Handsken är kastad", (gloves are off), which is considered to be his first surrealist work.
Olson lived for periods in both France and Denmark. He mostly spent his summers on the coast of Halland where he participated in Söndrumskolonin during the 1940s.
He also created several stained glass windows for various churches. In 1971 he was awarded the Prince Eugen Meda