Research projects

PRINCIPLES AND PRAGMATISM

Students, teachers and members of the Royal Academy in the first 150 years

This research project is funded by a grant from the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Memorial Fund. Technical equipment was acquired with a grant from the Magnus Bergvall Foundation.

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1735 as a school for drawing, but also as an association for artists and architects. Its purpose was to connect Swedish art to a European tradition with roots in antiquity and to liberate artists and art commissioners from the restrictions of the guilds. In 1735 – 1978, the Royal Academy was the principal of what is now the Royal Institute of Art, long the only higher education available in its field. The Royal Academy also promoted art in a broader perspective through public environments, arts policy, grants and exhibitions.

More than 1 members and 000 students have impacted on the activities and contributed to a unique collection of archival material and art relating to 8 years of art and architecture in Sweden. Facts on these people are among the most requested data among researchers and the public.

This project addresses several themes relating to teaching, the role of women and the influence of decision-makers. Changes within the Royal Academy is related to society and aesthetics. In particular, the project looks at the ideals and practices in the relationship between art and architecture versus applied arts and technology.

The material consisted of primary sources and original works of art, which have been systematised and analysed after source-critical scrutiny. Recent basic research has led to a new interpretation and updating of the Academy’s role prior to 1900. Since archive material provided the starting point and framework, empirical research is in the foreground. The intention was to promote research that looks beyond previous literature on the Academy’s history. The archives of the Academy and other institutions can potentially offer new knowledge on known and unknown artists and architects. By interpreting processes of change, we want to highlight the complexity of the past.

Project manager: Eva-Lena Bengtsson, former curator collections and research
Head of digitalisation: Christina Risberg, former administrative coordinator.