About the lecture
What is the link between the marble Goethe in Rome’s Villa Borghese (1903, seven meters) and the even more colossal bronze Fridtjov on the Sognefjord in Central Norway (1913, twelve meters on a pedestal of another twelve meters)?
The answer is that both were gifts from the German Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941). Wilhelm presented these colossal monuments not to his counterparts, the Kings of Italy or Norway, as one might expect, but to “the city of Rome” and “the Norwegian people” respectively. And even if the Kaiser himself is largely forgotten, his statues, because of their permanent materiality, are still with us today.
Based on his recent PhD dissertation from Leiden University, the Netherlands, Robin Oomkes will discuss the motives the Kaiser had for making these rather excessive gifts, how they were received by their intended recipients – the people of Rome and Norway – and what meaning we can ascribe to these huge artworks today.
About the speaker
Robin Oomkes (1968) studied history and art history at Humboldt University, Berlin, and Leiden University, the Netherlands. He is fascinated by the history of nineteenth and early twentieth century nationalism, and in how regimes and individual rulers sought to legitimize themselves through the construction of colossal monuments.
Interested in attending?
Please register, preferably the day before the lecture: https://nettskjema.no/a/eveninglecture