Pontus Fürstenberg

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Pontus Fürstenberg (4 October 1827 - 10 April 1902) was a Swedish art collector and merchant from a Jewish family. He was married to Göthilda Magnus.

[edit] Background

Pontus Fürstenberg was born at Östra Hamngatan 26, in Gothenburg Sweden. His family had arrived in Sweden at the beginning of the 19th century. Pontus was the oldest child, and his parents were the wholesalers Levy Fürstenberg and Rosa Warburg. Levy also owned the textile company "Levy Fürstenberg & Co" which provided the family a good economic base.

Pontus did poorly in the school, his grades were mediocre, but he did well enough to be able to attend the Handelsintitutet (Institute of Trade). At the age of 26, he became part owner in his father's textile company. A short way from the company lived the wealthy family Magnus. Both families spent a lot time together, and it was here that Pontus met there their only daughter, Göthilda Magnus, who would latter become his wife.

During this time, Pontus started to engage himself in the local politics, and at the age of 42 was appointed leader of the city counsel (stadsfullmäktige) in 1869. He was also involved with many community activities, including serving as Vice President of Gothenburg Ancient Monument Society.

[edit] The art collection

Around 1860, Pontus started to become interested in art, and he started his carrer as an art collector and art merchant. This interest would have a major impact for many artists, both in Sweden, and abroad, and served as the start of what would become the largest and the most prominent art collection in Sweden by the end off the 19th century.

The intensive development started when Fürstenberg married Göthilda Magnus in Gothenburg synagogue, the 31:th of may, 1880. Pontus had then for long been in loved in her, but they where forbidden to be together by Göthildas father, the rich bank, and finance man Edvard Magnus. He considered that his rich daughter shouldn't spent time together with a "hunchback and ten year older man", what now Pontus was. Magnus also though that the Fürstenberg wealth was to small. But Pontus and Göthilda met in silence anyway, and when Edvard died 1879, they could marry.

The marriage was a big change in Pontus life, because he marriage with one of the riches heirest in Gothenburg, and he became a weary rich man. He was able to leave his work as wholesaler to spent the rest of his life for his greatest interest, the art. Pontus and Göthilda decorated a beautiful home in Brunnsparken, in the center of Gothenburg, what later was to be known as the "Fürstenberg Palace". He started an art collection activity in his own house, with several million Swedish crowns as start capital. Thanks to Göthildas enormous wealth, he could develop this mecenatally for several promised artist.

At the beginning, Pontus didn't know much about art, rather that he found art to be beautiful. For his four first paintings to the collection, he got help from a friend architect to buy. But his knowledge about art begun to emerge at the time went by, but the igniting was during the Scandinavian art-exhibition in Gothenburg 1881, where he made several connections, and got his eyes on several young Swedish art-geniuses.

[edit] The art merchant

Pontus supported artists in many ways, not only with food, room, clothes and art materials, but he also helped them to study abroad in places like Paris. He also would pay artist's debts for them. For this support Pontus received paintings and other pieces or arts. Without Pontus's direct and indirect patronage, artists like Carl Larson, Ernst Josephson and Anders Zorn would not have been able to focus exclusively on their art.