by Birgitta Lemmel
First published May 27, 1999

Richard E. Smalley, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 1996

Diploma of Amartya Sen, Winner of the 1998 Economics Prize Artist - Bengt Landin; Calligrapher - Annika Rücker

A Physiology/ Medicine diploma, the general look since 1965

Diploma of Dario Fo, Nobel Laureate for Literature 1997 Artist - Bo Larsson; Calligrapher - Annika Rücker

The Swedish Academy has always used individual designs related to each Laureate. The artists have tried to summarize something of the atmosphere and character of each author’s works. Because the Prize winners are not announced until mid-October and the diplomas must be ready before December 10, the diploma artist has only a few weeks to summarize the collected works or personal attributes of each author. Aside from creating the Physiology or Medicine diplomas, Agi Lindegren also created the Literature diplomas until 1911. During 1912-1918 the Literature diplomas were the work of Olle Hjortzberg, Nils Asplund and Josef Svanlund; and during 1919-1962 of Bertha Svensson (from 1938, Svensson-Piehl), with the exception of the years 1928-1930 when Olle Hjortzberg was the artist. From 1963 to 1988 Gunnar Brusewitz was the man responsible for the artistic design of the Literature diplomas, and since 1989 it has been the artist Bo Larsson. Until 1990, the Norwegian diplomas were created according to the same principles: During 1901-1969, a lithograph by Gerhard Munthe and during 1970-1990 a lithograph by Ørnulf Ranheimsaeter. Since 1991, different Norwegian artists have been responsible for the artistic design each year: Karl Erik Harr, Håkon Bleken, Jacob Weidemann, Anne-Lise Knoff, Ørnulf Opdahl, Jens Johannessen, Eva Arnesen, Franz Widerberg, Håvard Vikhagen and Elling Reitan.For some years, well-known calligraphers have hand-lettered the various diplomas. The diplomas from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Swedish Academy have been hand-lettered by Annika Rücker since 1988 and 1989, respectively, and the Physiology or Medicine diplomas by Susan Duvnäs since 1990. Since 1992, the Norwegian diplomas have been hand-lettered by Inger Magnus.
Today each Nobel diploma is a unique work of art. The Literature diploma is written on parchment, i.e. specially treated leather, using largely the same technique as those of medieval book illustrators. The diplomas given to the other Laureates are produced on specially ordered handmade paper.

Literature Laureate for 1986 Wole Soyinka's diploma box

The Nobel relief on the Physiology or Medicine diploma is made of leather, attached to the diploma. After extensive preparations, the bookbinder then mounts the diploma in a leather cover made of the highest quality goatskin. Nowadays the Physics diplomas are mounted in a blue leather cover, Chemistry and Physiology or Medicine in red, Economic Sciences in brown and Literature in the color that the artist has chosen. In addition, the calligraphers have designed special gold monograms for each of the Laureates on the outside of the diplomas, which are also found on the boxes in which the diplomas rest. These diploma boxes are all made of gray woven paperboard, lined inside with pigskin suede. The size of the Nobel diplomas is 23 x 35 cms. In Birger Christofferson’s book Gunnar Brusewitz, the artist provides a description of the diploma he made for Isaac Bashevis Singer (1978): The diploma is dominated by a Star of David, whose six tips point toward characters and events in Singer’s books. The pictures in the upper left portion were inspired by "The Magician of Lublin". A parrot appears there, but can also symbolize the bird that flies away with people’s sins. Beneath it, a couple of rabbis with a Torah roll and ritual ram’s horn. Next to it, Jacob in "The Slave", living in captivity as a cowherd. The bottom portion of the diploma is based on "Satan in Goray", with its wild ecstatic atmosphere in anticipation of Shabbetai Zvi - the false "Messiah." The flower symbolizes the recovery of Goray from devastation. And above it, New York rises as the never-realized paradise for tormented Jews. To the right, the pogroms of the Nazi era.The book provides further examples of Nobel diploma design work. In 1984 the beloved Czech national poet Jaroslav Seifert was awarded the Nobel Prize. At 83 years old, he had a rich production behind him. The picture on the diploma was dominated by symbols of love and peace, against the backdrop of beautiful, ravaged Prague, his adored home city. In the late autumn of 1985, Gunnar Brusewitz portrayed Claude Simon’s fascinating imagery, with its sharp contrasts between the gray battlefields of Flanders and surrealistic dream interpretations. In 1986, the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature was Wole Soyinka of Nigeria. His diploma imparts a genuine feeling of throbbing rhythms, magic rites and the struggle for liberation.

Diploma of Camilo José Cela Nobel Laureate for Literature 1989 Artist - Bo Larsson; Calligrapher - Annika Rücker

Bo Larsson describes his art work for the 1989 Literature diploma awarded to Camilo José Cela as follows: "The black color seemed a given: the blackness of Goya and Picasso. So I painted the whole parchment black - or almost black. A few drops of white in this black, so that the completely black pupils I would later paint would stand out clearly and intensively. The eyes would belong to Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of Hades. I made the whites of his eyes red; he holds people in the grip of his red claws and bites them with red teeth. I then exposed the scene by sprinkling sand between the dog and the people. The sand swirls around these figures, providing a vision of movement."