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Jan Wirgin’s interest in the Oriental world started already in his teens. Born in 1932, as a young man in the 1950’s he choose to study Classic Chinese and History of Art at Stockholm University.
Jan Wirgin joined the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm as an assistant curator in the 1950’s. His mentor then was the renowned scholar and sinologist Bernhard Karlgren, who at the time was head of the museum. Jan Wirgin spent most of his working life at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, first as a curator and then between 1981-1998 as the director of the museum.
The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities is recognised as a world class museum formed in the 1920’s by Johan Gunnar Andersson. The collection grew over the years. Initially consisting of archeological objects and a world famous collection of early bronzes, it was then added to by important Swedish donations such as the collections of King Gustav VI Adolf, Johannes Hellner, Nora and Axel Lundgren, Holger Lauritzen and others. From 1963 onwards The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities has resided in the over 300 year old premises on Skeppsholmen in Stockholm.
For a year Jan Wirgin was Professor of Chinese Art at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu in the mid 1960’s and from 1970 onwards Associate professor at the University of Stockholm. The subject of Wirgin’s Ph. D. in 1970 was on Song ceramic designs. His book “Chinese Art history” first published in 1972, is still one of the most read books for those studying Chinese Art history in Sweden. In 1998 the Swedish Government appointed him Professor.
During the decades when Jan Wirgin was curator and director of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm many of the museum’s successful and varied exhibitions occurred. In 1984 the exhibition “The Emperor’s Army” was a vast crowd puller. Over the years a large number of exhibitions have been initiated by Wirgin, to mention just a few:
Ming Blue and White from Swedish Collections, 1964
Sung-Ming. Treasures from the Lauritzen collection, 1965
Korean Ceramics, 1966
Chinese and Scandinavian ceramics from the Hellner Collection, 1970
Chinese Carpets, 1986-1987
Art treasures from India, 1987
Jade from the Qing Dynasty, 1993
From China to Europe, 1998-1999,
all with printed catalogues sought after by those interested in Oriental culture.
As editor of the Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (BMFEA) for more than twenty years, Jan Wirgin has published numerous articles on a wide variety of subjects.
As a young man Jan Wirgin travelled extensively and after marrying his wife Margareta in the late 1950’s they both travelled to East Asia – China, India, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Borneo, Bali, Singapore – and also in Europe.
He was named Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand in 1984 and was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette from Japan in 1994.
Jan Wirgin has been an active member of a number of committees and societies with connection to East Asia and his life work has contributed immensely to the understanding and interest in East Asian culture to our part of the world.