Struggle for existence (Source d'or)

Artist/Maker

DatesMade: Made 1900

Material / Technique

Dimensionsh x w x d: Mått 84 x 74 x 25 cm

Inventory numberNMSk 2362

AcqusitionInventoried 2018 (Purchase 2017 Hedda and N.D Qvist Fund)

Other titlesTitle (sv): Kampen för tillvaron. Fransk originaltitel: "Source d'or" (Guldets källa) Title (en): Struggle for existence (Source d'or) Original title: La Source d'Or

DescriptionDescription: de Frumerie worked as an artist in Paris for 30 years and regularly exhibited her sculptures. She was inspired by the foremost sculptor of the time, Auguste Rodin. Together with the ceramist Lachenal, de Frumerie experimented with various techniques. In Sweden, this piece has been called “The struggle for existence”, which seems to be aimed at an apparently meaningless existential struggle in pursuit of wealth, where only the strongest survive. Press text: New acquisition, January 2018: Nationalmuseum has acquired a piece created by the Swedish sculptor Agnes de Frumerie (1869-1937) in collaboration with the French ceramist Edmond Lachenal (1855-1948). The sculpture, which is a nearly one meter tall relief made of glazed stoneware, depicts a group of people in an arc shaped opening. According to older sources the title of the piece is “La Source d’Or” and has in Swedish been called “Kampen för tillvaron” (“Struggle for existence”), which appears to allude to a seemingly endless struggle for existence and the pursuit of wealth, where only the strongest survive. The people portrayed in the foreground of this peace have a resigned appearance and are embracing and supporting each other; in the background one can see clutter of people who are appearing to reach for a rainfall that is falling down from the sky. The signature on the bottom of the sculpture reads “Agnes de Frumerie 1900” and on the back it reads “E. LACHENAL Céramiste á Châtillon Seine 1900”. Agnes Kjellberg was born in Skövde in 1869. She moved to Stockholm at the young age of 14 in order to study at University College of Arts, Crafts and Design with the ambition of becoming an art teacher. In 1886 she was accepted into Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After several medals and an extended stay in Berlin she was one of the first women to win the large travel scholarship in 1892 and she moved to Paris with her mother. She soon married artillery captain, masseur and subsequent doctor Gustaf Frumerie, and they would remain in Paris for 30 years. In the 1890’s the couple de Frumerie socialized with the Swedish art avant-garde in Paris: Strindberg, the Ericson-Molard couple, Christian Eriksson, to name only a few. In the artistic world Agnes de Frumerie was in the center of the Paris art scene. During her scholarship years she accounted for everything in letters to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. Starting in 1893 Frumerie displayed her work at the Salon des Artistes Franҫais and starting in 1895 also at the new salon Salon National des Beaux Arts at the Champs de mars. In 1897-1908 she was also in collaboration with the French ceramist Edmond Lachenal and she displayed her work many times at his exhibitions at Galerie Georges Petit. Agnes de Frumerie was also highly involved in the association of female artists – Union des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs – which was formed in 1881, and in 1895 she began to display her work there on a regular basis. For a long time it was assumed that Agnes de Frumerie studied under Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). This was not the case; instead Frumerie was advised by Rodin to work independently. However, she was one of the Swedish sculptors who were clearly influenced by the French masters. She realized early on how innovative Rodin was and referred to him as a “contemporary Michel-Angelo”. In her statues, de Frumerie resembled Camille Claudel (1864-1943), who even accused de Frumerie of plagiarism. The influence from Rodin is also clearly visible in this relief. Just like in Rodin’s Gates of Hell, the general composition consists of a mishmash of human bodies in high and low relief. The emphasis is on creating a feeling, which the facial expressions, gestures and looks all contribute to. The ambition that the sculptures had to create monumental pieces surrounding large, universal subjects was in keeping with the spirit of those times. Also typical for the times was the experimentation with different techniques in arts and crafts. Edmond Lachenal developed the technique with glazed stoneware in different colours, “email mat velouté” (eng: mat velvet opaque glaze) in the 1890’s and he collaborated with different sculptors, of whom Agnes de Frumerie was one of the most significant. This piece by Frumerie and Lachenal was displayed at the Exposition de l’Union des femmes peintres et sculpteurs and at the Galerie Georges Petit in 1900. The model of the sculpture can be found at Västergötland’s museum in Skara. [end] Nationalmuseum acquires works by women sculptors Over the past few years, Nationalmuseum has made a concerted effort to acquire more works by women sculptors. This acquisition drive was part of a wider project to gather knowledge and shed light on the Swedish women sculptors who were active at the turn of the 20th century. The results are to be presented in an exhibition at Nationalmuseum this spring and in an anthology to be published in English. The profession of sculptor was long seen as a male preserve. It was heavy, dirty work considered unsuitable for ladies. What was more, sculptures were often placed in public spaces and frequently portrayed nude bodies, which was likewise an impediment. Nevertheless, a number of Swedish women trained as sculptors in the late 19th century. After completing their studies, most of them headed to the Continent, mainly to Paris, where they discovered new artistic ideals and greater market opportunities. The women sculptors became adept at finding new approaches and scope for collaboration, especially in the applied arts, which appealed to a wider market. Several of them enjoyed great success at exhibitions, and many remained in Paris for most of their life. Works by these women sculptors proved popular and reached a wide audience. Sometimes they attracted praise, sometimes criticism. The genres in which women sculptors specialised – such as sentimental scenes and small genre figurines, often produced in collaboration with manufacturers – were not seen as priorities by art historians and museum curators for much of the 20th century. Consequently, many of them were more or less forgotten. Following the acquisition drive, Nationalmuseum’s collection now includes some 30 sculptures by about a dozen women sculptors who were active in the years around 1900. Half of these pieces have been acquired in the past five years. The sculptures include a number by Agnes de Frumerie (1869–1937), one of the women who enjoyed a long and successful career in France. She was previously represented by only one major work in the Swedish public collections (August Strindberg, purchased 1969). In recent years, three more de Frumerie sculptures have joined Nationalmuseum’s collection: the relief Source d’or or Struggle for Existence (1900), Undine (c.1901) and the figure group The Grandmother (1905). Alice Nordin (1871–1948) is another previously under-represented sculptor by whom more works have recently joined the collection. In 1911 she was the first women sculptor in Sweden to have a solo exhibition. Her works achieved remarkably widespread popularity, not least because her figurines were reproduced by the Gustavsberg porcelain works. Her lamp designs were cast in bronze by Herman Bergmans konstgjuteri and Arvid Böhlmarks lampfabrik. She was also in great demand as a portraitist, and Nationalmuseum’s collection now includes her busts of Baroness Märtha Cederström (1910) and Mrs Clara Lachmann (1912). Antoinette Råström Vallgren (1858–1911) is one of the sculptors not previously represented in the collection. At the turn of the 20th century she was greatly admired in Paris, creating sculptures and sculptural bookbindings in a symbolistic style that appealed to collectors of the time. The sculpture John the Baptist as a Child (1893) ranks among her most acclaimed works. “We’re particularly pleased to present a combined exhibition of the works by women sculptors that we’ve acquired over the past few years,” said Linda Hinners, a curator specialising in sculpture at Nationalmuseum. “Many of these sculptures have not been exhibited for a very long time, and some have never been on display in a museum setting before. Creating this space for them feels like a significant step.” The exhibition “What joy to be a sculptor!” Swedish Women Artists, 1880–1920 runs at Nationalmuseum from 17 March to 11 September 2022. To coincide with the exhibition, Nationalmuseum is publishing an anthology in English about Nordic women sculptors, in collaboration with researchers and writers from Sweden and abroad. Nationalmuseum receives no state funds with which to acquire design, applied art and artwork; instead the collections are enriched through donations and gifts from private foundations and trusts. Inventory numbers Agnes de Frumerie: The Grandmother, 1905. NMSk 2365 Agnes de Frumerie: Source d’or or Struggle for Existence, 1900. NMSk 2362 Agnes de Frumerie: Undine, c.1901. NMSk 2396 Ida Matton: Loki’s Punishment, 1897. NMSk 2409 Ida Matton: Portrait study, possibly of Matilda Hanström Berendt, 1891. NMSk 2353 Ruth Milles: Yvonne, Breton Girl, 1903. NMSk 2387 Ruth Milles: Two Breton Girls, c.1901. NMSk 2406 Alice Nordin: Baroness Märtha Cederström, 1910. NMSk 2389 Alice Nordin: Mrs Clara Lachmann, 1912. NMSk 2390 Alice Nordin: Female bust, variant of Andante Patetico, c.1911. NMSk 2395 Antoinette Råström Vallgren: John the Baptist as a Child, 1893. NMSk 2397 Märta Sparre (Améen): Two Horses, c.1902. NMSk 2400 Gerda Sprinchorn: Israel’s Aunt, 1905. NMSk 2398 Gerda Sprinchorn: Big Brother, c.1905. NMSk 2359 Gerda Sprinchorn: Sitting Girl, 1905. NMSk 2394 [end]

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