author
Ragnar Josephson
1891–1966
A major figure in Swedish cultural life, this writer and art historian helped shape how modern public art was studied, collected, and discussed. His work moved easily between scholarship, theater, and creative writing.
1 Audiobook
Lukukammio : (Imperfectum)
by Ragnar Josephson
About the author
Born in Stockholm on March 8, 1891, Ragnar Josephson was a Swedish art historian and writer whose career bridged research, criticism, and literature. He became professor of art history at Lund University in 1929 and is especially remembered for founding the Archive for Decorative Art there, the institution that grew into today’s Skissernas Museum.
Josephson was not only an academic. He also wrote creatively and played an active part in Sweden’s cultural institutions, including serving as director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm from 1948 to 1951. His range across scholarship, drama, and public cultural work made him an unusually versatile literary figure.
He died in Lund on March 27, 1966. Today he is remembered as both a serious historian of art and a writer who helped connect ideas about art with a broader public.