Eugen Napoleon Nicolaus Bernadotte, Prince of Sweden, Duke of Närke, was born on 1 August 1865 as the fourth and youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Östergötland, later King Oscar II and Queen Sophia.
Already at an early age, the young Prince showed his artistic talents and was taught drawing and painting by different artists.
During the years 1885-86, the Prince studied at Uppsala University and was at the same time a student for painter Wilhelm von Gegerfelt. It was during this time he decided that he wanted to become an artist. His parents, the Duke and Duchess of Östergötland, was not very pleased with the news at first – to have painting as a hobby was one thing, but to have it as ones main direction in life for a Prince was a totally different thing. But after receiving such excellent words of recommendations from the big artists of that time, his parents agreed – and the Prince went to Paris to study between 1887 and 1889.
In 1889, the Prince was selected as the first Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm, and the next year he was given the academy’s spot in the State’s purchasing committee for art.
Even if Prince Eugen has been allowed to educate himself to an artist, he could not escape the royal duties that followed with being a member of the Royal Family. He undertook official engagements in both Sweden and Norway, who was in a union with Sweden until 1905.
During the 1890’s, Prince Eugen could mainly devote time to his own painting during the summers. It was also during this decennium that he had his artistic break-through and when his lyrical and romantic painting came to play a vital role for the development of the Swedish landscape painting.
Prince Eugen had many exhibitions with his paintings – the largest one on Lijlevalchs Museum in 1925 - and his work was also featured on exhibitions abroad, like in Oslo and Helsinki.
As a part of his commitment to cultural politics, the Prince contributed with many monumental works of art for public spaces. They are located in schools, hospitals and churches in Sweden – the largest one of them is his wall mural in the City Hall in Stockholm, which took 6 years to finish.
Among his most publicly visible works are the 40 metres long murals on the walls in the Prince’s Gallery in the City Hall, the wall painting at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, and the altar painting in the Kiruna church.
To honour the occasion of Prince Eugen’s 80th birthday in 1945 – King Gustav V instituted The Prince Eugen Medal, to be awarded for great artistic achievement, and still a medal awarded today by King Carl XVI Gustaf.
On 17 August 1947, Prince Eugen, the Painting Prince – passed away. He willed Waldemarsudde and his large collection of art to the State, with the condition of them making it a museum and opening it to the general public. At his death, the collection was one of the largest private collections in Sweden – consisting of about 2 500 works of art by 444 different artists. The collection, mainly consisting of Swedish art, consists of paintings (the main part), sculptures, drawings, graphics and medal art. Prince Eugen was a collector for 60 years of his life; the first purchases were made in 1887, the last ones in 1947, the year of his death. In the collection you can find some of Sweden’s greatest artists ever – but also many great foreign artists.
Prince Eugen was one of his times greatest cultural personalities, and always a supporter of the culture. Some of his best friends were his fellow artists of that time: Carl Larsson, Richard Bergh, Anders Zorn, Albert Edelfelt and Peder Kröyer.
The Waldemarsudde flower pot:
Like many other artists during his time, Prince Eugen was not only a painter – but also a designer. His most famous work in this division is the porcelain flower pot named “Waldemarsudde” after his home. This flower pot has been hughely popular ever since its creation, and is still today sold in his home and by mail order abroad.
Prince Eugen's Christmas
Prince Eugen celebrated Christmas with the Royal Family at Drottningholm Palace. Before the actual Christmas came, there had been a season of festivities on Waldemarsudde. On Christmas morning, the Prince received each of his employees in the library where they received one months of extra pay, and a few words with wishes for a happy Christmas. During the Christmas holiday, all food served at the mansion was enjoyed accompanied by champagne and sherry.
In 1899, after Prince Eugen had been living at Arvfursten Palace for 10 years, the State wished to overtake the palace and place its foreign administration there. Prince Eugen began to look around for another place to live, and after some time – his choice fell on Waldemarsudde, a beautiful cape situated in the most wonderful nature surroundings and waters, close to Rosendal Palace where his family spent their summers. On the land there was already a house that he could use as a studio, and another house, the Old House, that he could live in during the summers while the plans for his new permanent home was being developed and realised. On 18 October 1899, the contract for the purchase of the land was signed – giving Prince Eugen access to it from 2 January 1900.
Together with Ferdinand Boberg (one of Sweden’s greatest and most productive architects during the turn of the century 18-1900), the Prince began sketching for a permanent home for himself – and in March 1903 the construction began. The mansion was finished in the autumn of 1905, and Prince Eugen held a grand moving-in party where he served consommé, lobster à l’indienne, brisket of beef, salad, pouding à la diplomate and cheese and dessert.
The Prince’s apartment for socialising is left the way it was when he passed away. The private rooms in the middle floor are, according to his wishes, re-made as exhibition rooms. These were bed- work- and guestrooms were situated in his time. In the top floor, the Prince has his studio – today used as exhibition rooms for visiting exhibitions or works of arts from his donated art collection.
When Prince Eugen moved to Waldemarsudde in the fall of 1905, he intensified his collecting of art. It soon became obvious that the space in the mansion was not enough, and the Prince decided to build a separate gallery.
Again the Prince worked with Ferdinand Boberg in designing the Gallery – and took great interest in modern solutions and working with the lightning. The Gallery was finished in 1913, and he came to use it for displaying his own paintings as well as things from his art collection.
During his days, Waldemarsudde was called “Sweden’s most beautiful home” – and in an interview before his 80th birthday in 1945, Prince Eugen concluded the following about his home: “A better place for a painter cannot be imagined”.
The house is surrounded by a flower and sculpture garden (with sculptures from all the big names in Sweden), and both the house and Gallery are furnished as the Prince left them. At his death in 1947, Prince Eugen willed Waldemarsudde and his large collection of art to the State, with the condition of them making it a museum and opening it to the general public.
Today Waldemarsudde is one of Sweden’s most popular museums. The website for the museum can be found here, and if you click here you can see pictures of his paintings.
thank you very much for suc information!!
What about the 5 children of princess Margaret of Sweden ( among then Queen Ingrid of Denmark??)
Thank you very much
Among his most publicly visible works are the 40 metres long murals on the walls in the Prince’s Gallery in the City Hall, the wall painting at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, and the altar painting in the Kiruna church.
He wanted to paint from a young age. His parents tried to give him a military career, but he wasn't interested in that. So he became "the painter prince".
in my opinion i think he did nt marry because perhaps there were nt any princess that was willing to spend her life with some painting obsess prince or could it be he didnt admired the marriages of his bernadotte relative and royal cousin to which marriages had ended with both party find others than there were expected or he maybe had love a woman who dint have royal status but decline to become a count of bernadotte[i must say sweden were strict towards royal marriages as with the russian romanovs]
I would say that prince Eugen was very much a non-conformist, he followed his own conscience and not what people thought he should do. Here's an article in Swedish about prince Eugen: Prins Eugen följde sitt samvete | Under strecket | SvD He was much more than the "Painter prince", he was a true humanitarian and true to his own conscience.
I like that Prince Eugene devoted himself to painting landscapes.
Geographically, his main areas of interest were the countryside around Stockholm and Vastergotland and Skane.
In my opinion prince Eugen is perhaps the most fascinating persons in the Bernadotte family, intelligent, artistic and expressing his own opinions, even when they weren't popular, but still showing support to his brother the king (Gustav V), even when Eugen didn't support the political views expressed in the king's speech.
That was indeeed an interesting article about Prince Eugen. But now I am also intrigued by August and Therese, who nobody seems to talk about at all. It sounds like the rest of the royal family wanted to treat them as if they were insignificant.
But now I am also intrigued by August and Therese, who nobody seems to talk about at all. It sounds like the rest of the royal family wanted to treat them as if they were insignificant.
I don't think the royal family saw them as insignificant, but that they "disappeared" among siblings that were more talented (Gustaf being a composer, Eugenie painted and made sculptures), and two brothers who became kings, it was difficult for August and Teresia to be seen and shine. Add to that the fact that both of them were more or less what can be described as "originals", Teresia more than August. When Teresia became a widow in 1873 she received a guardian, even if according to the law in Sweden at the time a widow (and a unmarried woman since 1863) was considered as being a major.
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