Zelfportret van kunsthandelaar Johann Andreas Boerner als nieuwjaarswens voor 1807 before 1807

Editor: Here we have "Self-Portrait of the Art Dealer Johann Andreas Boerner as a New Year's Greeting for 1807." It's a pen drawing on paper. There's something theatrical about the way he's stepping through the doorway. What do you see in this piece, beyond just a portrait? Curator: This isn't simply a portrait; it’s a carefully constructed performance of identity. The open doorway suggests Boerner is presenting himself – and perhaps, by extension, the art world he inhabits – as accessible and inviting, particularly at the dawn of a new year. It is not lost on me that doorways were a very real limitation to the movement and occupation for some people. Editor: A performance? Interesting. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the social and political context of the early 19th century. Boerner, as an art dealer, is navigating a world shaped by shifting class structures and burgeoning market economies. This self-portrait, presented as a New Year's greeting, serves as a marketing tool, yes, but it also asserts his position within that social hierarchy. What do you notice about the accoutrements that surround him? Editor: Well, the architecture is classical, orderly. And he’s holding what looks like a portfolio… almost presenting it. Curator: Exactly! Boerner positions himself as a cultivated individual, a gatekeeper to art and culture. This contrasts against other, perhaps more radical or disruptive artistic movements emerging at the time. How might his identity as an art dealer impact our understanding of this self-representation? Editor: So, he's curating his own image to project a sense of trustworthiness and tradition, essential for someone in his profession at that time? Almost like he is “opening” new pathways by means of art? Curator: Precisely! And it invites us to think critically about the relationship between art, commerce, and self-fashioning. We’ve seen these self-promotional tactics replicated in many intersectional social situations. Editor: That’s given me a whole new perspective. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It is important to remember that Art is never created in a vacuum, is it?