The Canon. Perspectives on Swedish Art Historiography

The Gothenburg Museum of Art conducts research both through independent projects and in connection with exhibitions. This research deepens the understanding of the museum’s collection. The museum’s publication series Skiascope presents research on themes related to art and museum practice. Issue number 10, The Canon. Perspectives on Swedish Art Historiography, was produced in collaboration with Norrköping Art Museum and the University of Gothenburg. A brief summary follows. Art history has long been understood as a self-evident selection of the most distinguished works of art—the canon. In recent decades, however, both the discipline and the canon itself have been subject to critical examination. Debates have focused on how canons are formed, by whom, and for what purpose. Not only the question of which artists and works should be included, but also the very construction of the Western art historical narrative, has been contested. The research project The Canon. Perspectives on Art Historiography explored processes of canon formation within Swedish art history. Examples from the collections of the Gothenburg Museum of Art and Norrköping Art Museum highlight the key individuals and forces that have shaped artistic consensus over time. The study examined, among other things, how art patrons, museum directors, and specific works of art have influenced perceptions of artistic quality. The project resulted in a special route through the museum’s permanent collection, allowing visitors to rediscover well-known and lesser-known works from new perspectives. What role have these works played in the museum’s history? What is their position within the canon?