Becoming Artists

Beskrivelse

Discover the journey of Nordic women artists in the 1880s as they broke barriers and carved out professional careers despite facing discrimination. This book delves into their lives, artistic networks, and the challenges they overcame while gaining recognition in major art centers like Paris.

An insightful exploration of how Nordic women painters in the 1880s shaped their artistic identities and professional paths.

The 1880s marked a pivotal decade for women artists from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, characterized by professional growth, liberation, and international connections. Although they encountered structural discrimination, an increasing number pursued careers in art, studying at prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm or attending private art schools. Many also traveled abroad, especially to Germany and France, to refine their skills in private ateliers.

Paris emerged as the artistic hub for these women during this period, where they established supportive networks, frequently exhibited their work, and earned critical acclaim as sought-after artists. Through detailed analyses of selected paintings, Becoming Artists investigates how these Nordic women painters portrayed themselves and each other in their professional roles, promoted their artwork, and navigated obstacles to secure their place in the visual history of their field.

The book highlights the crucial roles of friendship, companionship, and collaboration in shaping the self-presentation of Nordic women painters in the 1880s. It also explores the symbolic importance of the studio as a personal creative space. Drawing heavily on previously unpublished archival materials, this study sheds new light on artists such as Julia Beck, Hanna Hirsch-Pauli, Asta Nørregaard, and Bertha Wegmann.

Carina Rech, an art historian based in Stockholm and Berlin, is a researcher at Stockholm University and a curator at Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde art museum. Becoming Artists represents her doctoral dissertation.

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