In 1864, Hellqvist started to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm and in 1875, he was awarded the Royal Academy's higest prize for his painting "Gustaf I anklagar Peder Sunnanväder och Mäster Knut inför domkapitlet i Västerås".
In 1864, Hellqvist started to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. In 1875, he was awarded the Royal Academy's higest prize for his painting "Gustaf I anklagar Peder Sunnanväder och Mäster Knut inför domkapitlet i Västerås".