Johan Tobias Sergel : Pioneer of Neoclassical Sculpture

Johan Tobias Sergel (1740–1814) was not only Sweden’s greatest sculptor. He was also a pioneer of international Neoclassicism and, as such, one of the leading figures on the European art scene of his time. Sergel likened his encounter with Rome to an artistic renaissance: it was there that he decided to turn his back on most of French Rococo. The sculptor’s new sources of inspiration became antiquity by day and, come evening, studies from life. In his interpretation of the famous ancient models, however, he retained the sensuality of the Rococo. It is this characteristic that so clearly distinguishes Sergel from the two figures who were soon to dominate art history: the Italian Antonio Canova and the Dane Bertel Thorvaldsen.

This monograph traces the dramatic developments in Sergel’s life, his close relationship with king Gustav III and his many artist friends, his nostalgia for Rome, and his final years, which were marked by illness. The book draws on new sources and seeks, in particular, to explain why Sergel became world-famous in his native country but remained unknown abroad.