Östberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents were Carl Östberg and Erika Kindahl. Between 1884 and 1891, he first studied at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. In 1888, he studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. He had an internship with architect Isak Gustaf Clason (1856–1930). In 1893 he visited the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and in 1896 he went on a three-year study trip to, among others, England, France, Italy and Greece. Dating from the early 1900s, he lived and worked in Umeå in northern Sweden. Scharinska villan in Umeå is considered one of Östberg's best works during his youth.[3][4]
Östberg became the most famous architect within the so-called "national romanticist" movement in Sweden. His body of work from the period ranges from public buildings, such as Stockholm City Hall,[5] to mansions for influential families at the turn of the century, such as Scharinska villan or Nedre Manilla, built for members of the Bonnier family.[6]
Cornell, Elias (1966) Ragnar Östberg - en svensk arkitekt
Söderberg, Rolf (1955) Svenska Män och Kvinnor del 8
Thelaus, Erik (1983) Ragnar Östbergs byggnader i Umeå
Monterumisi, Chiara (2017) Ragnar Östberg – Villa Geber, una casa nell’arcipelago. Ediz. Italian, English and Swedish, In Edibus, Vicenza, ISBN978-8897221517
Atmer, Ann Katrin Pihl (2011) Stockholms stadshus och arkitekten Ragnar Östberg (Kultur Allmänlitteratur) ISBN9789127130647
