Project Manager
Slöör, SusannaProject manager
Academy of ArtsAmount granted
721 876 SEKYear
2015
In 2001 and 2007, the internationally significant art and architecture library at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts was restored and housed in the space created by member Åke Axelsson, thanks to generous grants from the Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Foundations. The collection features a unique core of study and teaching materials for students and members dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries and serves one of the world’s oldest architecture schools still in operation.
The library houses approximately 1,200 works, including rarities such as Colonna’s *Hypnerotomachia Poliphili* from 1545, Dürer’s Anatomical Treatise for Artists in its first French edition from 1550, the first edition of Piranesi’s Le Antichità Romane from 1776, the first French edition of Palladio from 1650, as well as the richly illustrated first edition of Ludwig Gottfried’s *Historia Antipodium oder Newe Welt* from 1631—all of significant value.
There is a major gap in the cataloging of the collection; the only catalog is still a booklet from 1806 that gave the library its name. The collection has therefore remained unknown in the academic and museum world.
The application aims to have one of Sweden’s leading experts conduct a scholarly cataloging in English, highlighting each volume’s value and unique characteristics. The goal is to make the catalog available online while simultaneously publishing a richly illustrated volume. This will enhance the country’s reputation in international research.