The first anthology provides an overall picture of Ernest Thiel’s creation

Since the 1920s, the Thiel Gallery has been one of Sweden’s most prominent art museums. For the first time, an anthology provides an overall picture of Ernest Thiel’s creation. The book is published in Swedish and English.

“The Thiel Gallery has a unique cultural heritage in several areas regarding art history, architectural and garden history. It also explores the life stories of leading cultural personalities at the turn of the last century and the overall spirit of the era. The book gives the reader an in-depth view into the dynamic times at the turn of the 20th century in both Sweden and Europe,” says Patrik Steorn, former museum director for the Thiel Gallery and principal editor of the book.

“The Thiel Gallery Art – House – Time” also depicts the financier Thiel’s constant search for meaning in a time that was marked by division and conflict. Thiel had a deep knowledge of Friedrich Nietzsche’s thoughts and translated several of the philosopher’s works into Swedish. But, above all, the Thiel Gallery stands out as a work of art on its own. With its clean, bold architecture and willingness to let the art speak freely, the building broke with the overloaded bourgeois ideals of the nineteenth century and pointed forward to a democratic century.

“This book is a gem among art books with new and historical images that allow the reader to get closer to the museum’s founder, its art, architecture, interiors, and surroundings,” says publishing director Susanne Hamilton

A respected group of researchers and high-profile writers has been assembled to each write a chapter on the Thiel Gallery's cultural heritage. The result is a unique book about Ernest Thiel’s life and work, the architecture of the building, the surrounding gardens, the composition and ideology of the art collection, the influence of Friedrich Nietzsche, and the media reception when the Thiel Gallery became a museum. The Thiel Gallery was created amid the birth of modern Sweden at the turn of the 20th century. It served as the home for the banker and art collector Ernest Thiel and his family and his Nordic art collection.

The book consists of the following chapters:

Patrik Steorn: Ernest Thiel: a biographical portrait
Martin Rörby: A soundbox for the new art
Catharina Nolin: From wooded hillside to artistic refinement - on the garden
Per Widén: The Thiels’ collection of art and the Thiels as collector
Charlotta Nordström: Thiel and the art collection practices of his time
Hans Ruin: Thiel’s Nietzsche
Sophie Allgårdh: The private villa becomes a museum – through the eyes of the press

The authors are prominent specialists in their respective fields. The generous imagery helps the reader get close to the museum and its founders.