At the exhibition Moderna Museet c/o Waldemarsudde international Modernism from Moderna Museet’s collection will meet works from the Prince’s collection of Swedish and Nordic Modernism.
Prince Eugene’s art collecting, which covers a period of 60 years, was mostly focused on his own period. It was during his study days in Paris 1887-89 that Prince Eugene bought the first works that would form his collection. works by Hugo Birger and Per Ekström. When his home at Waldemarsudde was completed 1905 the collection began to grow. At an early stage the Prince made clear that he would focus foremost on Swedish and Nordic art. French artists dominate among the non-Nordic countries represented. In the collection works by members of the art union, academicians, pupils of Matisse and artists of the New Objectivity as well as more expressive painters exist next to predecessors of a more naivistic and Romanian temperament. The young Swedish artists of the 1930-40s are also represented. Some international Modernism can be found, if only in small but important numbers, examples are works by Robert Delaunay, André Derain, André Lhote and Pablo Picasso. Waldemarsudde therefore sees it as a great opportunity to complement their almost complete Swedish-Nordic collection with a number of tops of the art works by non-Nordic artists from Moderna Museet’s collection.
The chosen works from Moderna Museet’s collection have their starting point in Prince Eugene’s purchases of Swedish art. What impulses reached the Swedish artists, what did they take to their hears? But most important of all – what kind of art did they meet in France, in Germany and at exhibitions in Sweden?
With this exhibition Waldemarsudde aims to present some of the impulses and impressions that reached Swedish artists from abroad, as well as highlight what could be seen in Sweden at the same time. The chosen works are therefore, whit some exceptions, works that have been in governmental museum’s collections prior to 1947 when the Prince passed away. From Moderna Museet some of the collections most appreciated works are shown, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Sonia Delaunay, Henri Matisse, Paule Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Fernand Léger among others.
Curator Group
Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde: Hans Henrik Brummer, Christina Wistman and Göran Söderlund
Moderna Museet: Cecilia Widenheim
