THE WILD BOAR

The wild boar is the first thing that meets you in the main entrance of the Academy of Arts. The pig came to Sweden as early as 1698, but is in turn a cast after an antique sculpture.

This shaggy male boar sat in the hall as early as 1780. At that time, the Academy had just moved into the house it received from Gerhard Meyer, and which today is embedded in the current building. The Pig has always attracted attention for its down-to-earth realism in contrast to the more dignified Lion, an animal that has traditionally been the symbol of states and princes.

From the beginning, the ancient wild boar was probably part of a sculpture group, perhaps together with dogs and hunters. Many have wanted to link the motif to the myth of the Greek prince Meleager and his hunt for the Caledonian wild boar.

Several artists have been inspired by the pig for their own creations. In Sweden, the most well-known is perhaps Carl Milles, whose wild boar from 1929 can be seen in the park at Ulriksdal Castle.

As long as the Art Academy also had an art school, it was said that the new students entered like unbrushed pigs, but after a few years of training came out again like lions. Another version of this anecdote tells us that it was the other way around: the young lions who entered the school learned to brawl and sup like pigs - and came out as full-fledged bohemians, ready to live up to the romantic artist myth that public prejudice demanded.

When the last of the Academy of Arts' teaching moved from Akademihuset in 1995, they still did not want to completely part with their history. Instead, new casts were made of the popular animals in the foyer. Today, you can also see the Lion and the Boar outside the Academy of Arts' entrance on Skeppsholmen.