Skip to content

PhD thesis

Carl Ferdinand Sohn, Portrait of the painter Marie Wiegmann, 1843, 126 x 104 x 2 cm, Oil on Canvas, Düsseldorf Museum Kunstpalast © Museum Kunstpalast, Photo: Horst Kolberg/ARTOTHEK
Carl Ferdinand Sohn, Portrait of the painter Marie Wiegmann, 1843, 126 x 104 x 2 cm, Oil on Canvas, Düsseldorf Museum Kunstpalast © Museum Kunstpalast, Photo: Horst Kolberg/ARTOTHEK

The aim of my thesis is to evaluate Carl Ferdinand Sohn as an artist at the Academy, in Düsseldorf and in Prussia, and localise his art in the overall context of the Academy and of the time. This thesis will make Carl Ferdinand Sohn and his work more accessible for research and raise awareness of his significance – in particular for research on the Düsseldorf School of painting and 19th century painting in Germany. Additionally, a catalogue will be produced following academic standards in order to provide orientation for future scholarship as well as for art dealers, collectors and art lovers.

Many of Sohn’s works are part of museum collections; however, I suspect that many other works, probably primarily portraits, are owned by private collectors. My aim is to catalogue as many of Sohn’s works as possible. I am particularly interested in oil paintings, drawings and prints, which will help to establish a chronology of his works and thus to understand Sohn’s artistic development. This website aims to publicise my project and reach owners of Sohn’s works. If you contact me, your data and the information that you provide will be treated with the utmost discretion.

If you have information about works, documents, letters or similar sources, or if you are in possession of a work by Carl Ferdinand Sohn, I would be delighted if you could contact me at:

info[at]carl-ferdinand-sohn.com