Sandzén, originally from Sweden, is considered one of the great American landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century. He is known as a great colorist who exulted in the rich and vibrant colors of the American West. What some may not know is that Sandzén was also a respected author in the lively Swedish-American press around the turn of the last century. In the book, Birger Sandzén on Art, Music and Transcendence, Dr. James Kaplan has brought to life a brief cultural Camelot in America when immigrant artists, musicians and authors, nourished by the culture of the Old World, were stimulated in their craft by the exciting New World they had found in America. Join us as Dr. Kaplan discusses Sandzén’s work in a presentation at the Museum at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5. Dr. Kaplan will be available to sign copies of his book for the attendees. Cost to attend is $15; light Swedish summer supper will be served. Reservations should be made in advance on our website or in person at the Museum.
About the speaker: Dr. James Kaplan received the Ph.D. in French literature from the University of California Berkeley. He became acquainted with Sweden as a long-time camp counselor for the Swedish YMCA. He did doctoral research at Uppsala Universitet in Sweden and later published books and articles on eighteenth century French literature based on manuscripts that he found in Swedish archives. He began teaching French and Swedish at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) in 1975 where he became active in the Swedish-American community. He founded and led the Swedish Cultural Heritage Society of the Red River Valley in 1976, as well as the North Dakota New Sweden ’88 Committee to arrange programs throughout the state commemorating the three hundred fiftieth anniversary of the Swedish colony in Delaware. For his service to the Swedish-American community Dr. Kaplan was knighted by King Carl XVI Gustav with the Royal Order of the Polar Star in 1988. In recent years he has published articles and a book on the Swedish Kansas-based artist Birger Sandzén and on Swedish art exhibits at the World’s Fairs of St. Louis (1904) and San Francisco (1915). He is retired from MSUM but continues to teach Swedish courses and speaks to community groups on Swedish cultural topics.
