Interior design and art collection donated to Uppsala University Library
Peter Renzo Gamba has chosen to donate his art collection to Uppsala University Library. Here he is seen with Johanna Hansson, Library Director at University Library. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
Through a generous donation by Peter Renzo Gamba, Uppsala University Library has received a room interior collection consisting of 13 paintings from the first half of the 20th century, a rug by Märta Måås-Fjetterström, and furniture by Carl Malmsten.
Work was already under way at the University Library to obtain assistance with the interior design of a room when Maria Berggren, head of the Special Collections Division, first came into contact with Peter Renzo Gamba. The room had been in need of freshening up for a long time, and as part of an upcoming renovation of the adjacent reading rooms, there was a vision to give them all a boost – from the gloomy, worn-out, dark brown that predominated, to a brighter, lighter and more welcoming environment. Now, a beautiful room is going to be created with the donated collection.
“This gorgeous collection of 20th century art with its vibrant colours, combined with Märta Måås-Fjetterström’s rug and the Carl Malmsten furniture, will really bring the room to life. The atmosphere will be completely changed: to happy, beautiful, welcoming and elegant,” says Maria Berggren.
The first contact Maria Berggren had with Peter Renzo Gamba was actually about his desire to donate an interesting thesis on comets from 1577 to the University Library. But when he started looking for a place for the artworks that he and his wife Britt-Inger had collected over the years, their contact resumed. After having considered a number of different recipients, Peter’s choice fell to Uppsala University Library, where the whole collection could be kept together.
Maria Berggren, head of the Special Collections Division. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
“These works were carefully chosen to fit together and it was our joint wish, while my beloved wife was still alive, that they should be on show somewhere in one place as a collection. Through a happy coincidence with the upcoming renovations at the Library, our wish aligned with the Library’s vision,” says Peter Renzo Gamba.
Peter’s interest in art began early, when he accompanied his father on visits to various museums and watched as his father painted. He remembers a time when he accompanied his father to the National Museum at the age of ten. There, he heard of an appeal to the public for contributions to purchase a specific work of art.
“I ended up donating my entire fortune from collecting empty bottles - all of ten Swedish kronor - to the Museum,” he says with a smile.
The works now being donated are by the likes of Grünewald, Hjertén and Osslund, and they were all painted during the first half of the 20th century. It’s the era that Peter Renzo Gamba is most enamoured of. He loves the colourfulness and the vibrancy; the sweeping brush strokes.
“But it’s the large Röda Trädgårdsmattan (Red Garden Carpet) by Märta Måås-Fjetterström that is the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of the collection. It is truly a work of art. To us, it was the most valuable item in our collection, although the market probably doesn’t see it that way,” he says.
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