Hjalmar Gabrielson—samlare och mecenat

Abstract

Summary Hjalmar Gabrielson: collector and patron Already as a young postal employee in Gothenburg at the turn of the century Hjalmar Gabrielson (1875–1949) started to collect paintings. In the 1920s when he had made a fortune as a builder and property‐holder with business in Sweden and in Germany, he was able to bring together one of the biggest art collections in the country. Although he was a keen collector of antique furniture, oriental carpets and Chinese porcelain his great passion was modern painting. He became one of the great art patrons of his day, supporting young artists in every possible way, primarily buying their works. Thus contemporary Swedish art constituted the main part of his collection of paintings, but he also owned a small but choice collection of modern French painting. The most remarkable part of this hoard of art treasures was undoubtedly the collection of German and Russian avant‐garde art—at that time presumably unique in Europe. It included works by Chagall, Klee, Kandinsky, J...