Christina G. Wistman - Böcker

The Swedish Prince Eugen (1865-1947) was not only a royal prince and a culturally involved artist and patron of the arts but also an art collector. His art collecting has mostly been considered a matter of course and has not yet been discussed thoroughly. Stereotypes of the Prince as an art collector have flourished and disseminated. Eugen has been looked upon as a patron of the arts who mainly supported his artist friends and less fortunate younger artists in need of financial support. The abundant art collection at the museum Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, left by bequest to the Swedish government and today State-owned, supports the theory of a different force behind the prince s art acquisition. In this study art collecting is examined in terms of social promotion. The main focus is put on Prince Eugen and some of his roles on the domestic art scene and in particular Eugen the art collector. The Prince s personality was full of nuances and questions are posed regarding autonomity and heteronomity, legitimacy and approval in the Swedish art life of the time. Prince Eugen collected art for 60 years. The Prince s art collection is described and interpreted as well as its growth. What Eugen bought and how and where he purchased art are of importance in this study. This starting point illustrates the Prince s social radius of action as an art collector and highlights his relations with artists and the art world. Also the opening of the museum Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde after Eugen s death has been considered a matter of course and this study illustrates how the museum developed. Eugen was financially independent and did not have to worry about the state of the market or having to dispose of his art collection. The collection being privately owned made it possible for Eugen to sell it if he wanted to, but he made a conscious choice to keep his collection.Prince Eugen s royal position in combination with his chosen career as an artist invites to further discussions. Prince Eugen s favorable position as a member of the Swedish royal family did not always work in his favor. Through the collecting process, the dissertation discusses how one can become an active participant of the Swedish art scene and how a seemingly fulfilled person still needs to work hard to earn a position. The theoretical basis has been the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu s conception of habitus and capital and parts of his extensive field theory. Prince Eugen s position on the Swedish art scene did improve without a doubt and this dissertation will illustrate how and in what way the Prince s collecting contributed to his promotions on the Swedish art field from his period of training in Paris in the late 1880 s up to his death in 1947. Eugen s prospects of promotion might have been better than many other agents on the art field, but there are no short cuts, not even for a royal prince. The ultimate result of such a reading allows for a clearer picture not only of Prince Eugen s different roles and achievements in Swedish art life, but also of the art field in itself and Swedish art life and its agents in general.