Life, personality and commitment

The Nobel Prize laureates are a diverse group of people and organizations. Items donated by Nobel Prize laureates and their families can tell us about their lives, their personalities, and what is important to them.

For most people, life consists of work and recreation. Nobel Prize laureates sometimes had a career before or alongside the work that led to their Nobel Prize. Many of them have hobbies that promote their well- being and also inspire them at work.

Doctor’s bags, a press card and a notebook are objects from different professions. Musical instruments, drawings and sports equipment reveal a variety of different hobbies.
 

We surround ourselves with things, and some of them are especially meaningful. Objects can be associated with memories or symbolise something important.

Things that have belonged to Nobel Prize laureates can give us clues to significant times in their lives or other personal traits.
 

Standing up for your ideas comes at a cost. Several Nobel Prize laureates have been imprisoned for their ideas and actions. But that did not stop them from fighting for freedom and justice.

Clothes, a towel and letters give us clues to prison life. A dress tells of an existence that was destroyed, but also of liberty and hope.

Violence and threats can take many forms – including assaults against individuals or weapons of mass destruction. Violence is also combated in many ways: by aiding the victims or working for disarmament.

A medical doctor’s equipment demonstrates the will to help, and a thousand paper cranes symbolise the fight against nuclear weapons.

Many people have been forced to emigrate or flee due to their beliefs or ethnicity. A life-changing event of that kind can lead to a personal turning point and impact on the creative process.

A typewriter, a toy car and two suitcases harbour memories and stories of flight and exile.