Olle Bærtling was born in 1911 in Halmstad, Sweden. He spent the majority of his career in Stockholm, where he died in 1981.

Since the 1950s, Bærtling's work has been presented in many solo and group exhibitions, both in Sweden and internationally. In 1954, he represented Sweden at the Venice Biennial. He was honoured with several important prizes, including the award of the 7th Biennial of São Paulo in 1963. In 1981, Malmö Konsthall and Stockholm's Moderna Museet compiled the first comprehensive survey exhibition of Bærtling's work. In 2007 Moderna Museet Stockholm and National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo presented a new survey exhibition of Bærtling that was also on view at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, founded by Donald Judd in 2008. Galerie Nordenhake presented its first solo show with the artist in 1976.