Nordic Private Collections of Chinese Objects

Nordic Private Collections of Chinese Objects by Minna Törmä 
Routledge, 2020, 176 pages, 47 black-and-white illustrations 
ISBN 9781138351806 

The latest publication by Minna Törmä explores the development of four private collections of Chinese art by people from Nordic countries. Törmä’s research may be seen as a continuation of her interest in the Finnish-born Swede, Osvald Sirén (1879–1966), a preeminent historian of Chinese art in Europe. Sirén was one of the first academically trained art historians who visited China to conduct research on Chinese art history, in contrast to others who went on exploratory excursions or archaeological activities and extracted objects for museums or institutional studies. For example, Sirén’s 1924 publication, The Wall and Gates of Peking, remains an important resource to study the architecture of the city and features photographs that he personally shot and developed. In somewhat chronological order, Törmä’s book discusses the collecting practices of Sirén, the Finnish jeweler Kustaa Hiekka (1855–1937), the Danish businessman Sophus Black (1882–1960) and his wife Minna, and the Didrichsen couple, Marie-Louise (1913–88) of Finland and the industrialist Gunnar (1903–92) of Denmark.

With the notable exception of Sirén, the names of these collectors may not be familiar even to those who are interested in the history of collections of Chinese art. This is the first publication in English that addresses the development of Chinese art collecting during the 20th century in Nordic countries by affluent but not aristocratic members of society. Törmä is a Finnish historian of Chinese art, and she authoritatively introduces these collections, which have not garnered much scholarly attention. As Törmä informs readers, the impact of these 20th century collectors of Chinese art continues to provide a framework for the narrative of Nordic interactions with Chinese culture. Objects collected by these individuals may be seen in museums, whether they were ensconced in institutions established by the collectors, in the cases of Hiekka and the Didrichsens, or donated to the national museums of Denmark, as Black and Sirén did.  

Törmä’s innovative approach to developing her analysis—possibly inspired by Sirén’s use of the camera to document the architecture of 1920s Beijing—relies upon the close scrutiny of family snapshots and archival photos of the domestic spaces inhabited by the collectors. Her research reveals a dedicated resourcefulness in documenting the Nordic collectors through photographs of their collections. In all four cases, the collectors initially housed their art objects within their residences. Given that the collectors lived with their art, photographic records—either family albums or presentations of institutional histories—formed the core resources for Törmä’s discussion, which focuses on living collections and the lives of the objects. Borrowing some ideas from the prominent cultural anthropologist, Arjun Appadurai, Törmä narrates the acquisition of materials from China and their ‘object biograph[ies]’, her term for the ways in which items were transformed into collections in museums, residential or otherwise, after the passing of their first Nordic owners. 

Central to the book are the characterizations and definitions of collections. For example, in Chapter Two, Törmä chronicles the acquisition, display, interpretation, and re-interpretation of the ‘souvenirs’ that Hiekka gathered while on his world tours, from the 1880s to about 1908. Initially the objects were the occasion for entertainment and displayed as trophies in his residence; by 1928, they became assertions of his scholarly and didactic aspirations. Hiekka constructed a building that was both a residence and a museum that would open for the good of the public. He actively promoted the formation of the Finnish Museum Association, which in 1930 held a conference that featured a tour of his collection. Apparently, he was an engaging raconteur and relived his memories for members of the organization, who enthusiastically enjoyed the visit. With his death seven years later, the curator of the museum relegated the Chinese and other Asian ‘souvenirs’ to the attic in order to showcase Hiekka’s collection of Finnish paintings. Fortunately, with the evolving evaluations of objects and their biographies, the museum now displays some of the Asian objects. This suggests that the works have achieved the status of art, a point that Törmä does not directly address. 

Readers familiar with the history of Chinese objects in British museums may be reminded of the article ‘Oriental Antiquities/Far Eastern Art’ by Craig Clunas, an historian of Chinese art and former curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (Clunas, 1994). In this writing, Clunas investigates the historical reassessments of Chinese objects as British museums have classified them. Sometimes, they were considered ethnographic antiquities; other times, they were categorized as Far Eastern art. In early 20th century Britain, the development of formalist art theories by Roger Fry (1866–1934) and Clive Bell (1881–1964) enabled shifting definitions of curios and art objects beyond nationalist or ethnographic constraints, as these critics sought to mediate European definitions or delineations of artistic canons. In Törmä’s book, the author recognizes the impact of modern formalist ideas and their relationship to Chinese art and literature through a discussion of the poet Ezra Pound (1885–1972).  

Törmä displays great sensitivity to the context of the Chinese objects brought together by the Nordic collectors. She argues that while the objects may appear to be decorative, the motivations of the collectors belie this simplistic consideration. In her analysis, based on photographs of Sophus and Minna Black’s collection of Chinese objects while they were in residence in Beijing, Törmä astutely discusses how access to some of these paintings and other objects, presently in the National Museum of Denmark, are invaluable to the public awareness of the history of Chinese art. As such, readers can gain insight into the availability of Chinese objects that began in private collections and were then exhibited to the public. The Didrichsens, the final collectors discussed in the book, sought to publicize objects from a variety of locations. Törmä speculates that the objects’ formal qualities and beauty inspired the Didrichsens to collect Chinese along with pre-Columbian works. These were ensconced in their residence, the Villa Didrichsen, a modernist structure designed by the prominent Finnish architect, Viljo Revell (1910–64), who also worked with the internationally renowned Alvar Aalto (1898–1976). According to Törmä, in this modernist setting, the objects were to be admired for their visual elements and expressive power. 

At its best, the book provides a narrative that investigates the reception of privately collected Chinese objects within the Nordic public arena. The account helps to explain the development of the study of Chinese art history in this region, a topic that has not received much scholarly attention published in English. A valuable resource for those interested in Asian art and the history of collecting, it outlines the changing status of Chinese objects, their transformation from exotic curios or souvenirs of ethnographic interest to items worthy of scholarly analysis that become appreciated and valued as art along with other aesthetic works from non-European locations. As the 20th century progressed, these objects with personal or ethnographic associations were moved out of private collections to enter public institutions, as artworks that display beauty. 

Roslyn L. Hammers is Associate Professor at the Department of Art History, University of Hong Kong. 

This article first featured in our September/ October 2021 print issue, pp 90-91. To read more, purchase the full issue here.

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