A hero's many faces : Raoul Wallenberg in contemporary monuments

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• Raoul Wallenberg is widely remembered for his humanitarian activity on behalf of the Hungarian Jews in Budapest at the end of World War II, and known as the Swedish diplomat who disappeared into the Soviet Gulag in 1945. Today, Wallenberg’s example is used to communicate humanitarian values and human rights in many democratic societies. His story incorporates a classical hero narrative which has survived the ‘un-heroic’ 20th century.In 2008, there exist thirty-one Wallenberg monuments in twelve countries on five continents, from Hungary to Sweden, from Canada to Chile, from Australia to Russia. The rich diversity of the monuments invites to discuss the different concepts of Wallenberg and heroism as expressed in the artists’ works. The art-historical focus of this interdisciplinary study makes it a valuable contribution to the discussion of personal monuments, as well as to the socio-historical research on the commemoration of Wallenberg and the concept of the hero.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Konstvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Art History (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Historia (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Idé- och lärdomshistoria (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- History of Ideas (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Raoul Wallenberg

monument

Holocaust

second world war

hero

heroes

Raoul Wallenberg

monument

minnesmärke

Förintelsen

Holocaust

andra världskriget

hjälte

hjältar

det offentliga rummet

HUMANITIES and RELIGION

HUMANIORA och RELIGIONSVETENSKAP

Art

Konstvetenskap

Aesthetic subjects

Estetiska ämnen

History

Historia

History of science and ideas

Idé- o lärdomshistoria

konstvetenskap

Art History

historia

History

History Of Sciences and Ideas

idé- och lärdomshistoria

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

bok (subject category)