Description
A wide-ranging study of the intertwined notions of home and homeland that were central to the art and material culture of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland in the second half of the 19th century.
The arts played a crucial role in reinforcing a shared sense of belonging amongst Nordic countries as they strove to identify and celebrate authentic local and national identities. “Home” was a central metaphor in the nation building activities of each country. The links between land, landscape, handicraft and domestic dwellings as dimensions of home are embedded in this survey which brings the extensive collection of David and Susan Werner into public view for the first time.
The catalogue encompasses an impressive range of paintings, drawings, furniture, textiles, glass, metalwork, and ceramics. Highlights include rare tapestries and a wooden cabinet by Norwegian artist Gerhard Munthe, Finnish ceramics by Alfred William Finch, landscape paintings by Hilma af Klint, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Gustav Fjaestad and Pekka Halonen, and functional objects by outstanding handicraft artists covering embroidery, metalwork and wooden implements.
Author biographies
Patricia Gray Berman is Theodora L. and Stanley H. Feldberg Professor of Art, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA.
Dawn R. Brean is chief curator and director of Collections, Frick Pittsburgh.
Michelle Facos is professor of Art History, adjunct professor of Jewish Studies and adjunct professor of Russian and East European Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Charlotte Ashby is programme director and associate lecturer, Department of History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.
Kjetil Fallan is professor, Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, University of Oslo, Norway.
Jan Kokkin is an independent historian, Oslo, Norway.
Thor J. Mednick is professor of Art History, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH.
Tonje Haugland Sørensen is a postdoctoral fellow and researcher, University of Bergen, Norway.
Sabine Wieber is senior lecturer, History of Art, University of Glasgow, UK.
Table of Contents
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- Foreword by Elizabeth Barker, Director
- Acknowledgments by Dawn Brean, Patricia G. Berman, and Michelle Facos
- Curator’s Introduction: Home as History by Michelle Facos and Patricia G. Berman
- Interview with David and Sue Werner
- Home by Michelle Facos
- Vital Bodies by Patricia G. Berman
- Art Nouveau and Nature by Sabine Wieber
- A Natural Presence: Nordic Landscape in the Nineteenth Century by Thor Mednick
- Dragon Tales: Glimpses of the Dragon Style in Nineteenth-Century Norway by Tonje Haugland Sorensen
- Gerhard Munthe as the Creator of a New Style by Jan Kokkin
- Artists’ Homes by Charlotte Ashby
- Wood as Good: Precious Design and Cheap Nature by Kjetil Fallan
- Nordic Ceramics in 1900 by Dawn Brean
- Notes
- Exhibition Checklist
- Further Reading
- Index
- Photo Credits
