Moderna Museet
Modern and contemporary art and design museum in Stockholm, Sweden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moderna Museet (lit. 'the modern museum') is a state museum for modern and contemporary art and design, located on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, opened in 1958.
- c.6,000 paintings
- 25,000 graphical prints
- 400 art videos
- 100,000 photos
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| Established | 1958 |
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| Location | Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Type | Art museum |
Collection size |
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| Director | Gitte Ørskou |
Public transit access | Bus to Arkitektur-/Moderna museet |
| Website | www |
History
After the original opening, in 2009, the museum also opened Moderna Museet Malmö in Malmö, in a building that had housed the Rooseum centre for contemporary art.[2] The Moderna Museet in Stockholm has been the subject of scholarship on museum history, preservation, and institutional planning.[3]
Collection
The museum houses Swedish and international modern and contemporary art, including pieces by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, and a model of Tatlin's Tower. The museum's collection also includes key works by artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Louise Bourgeois, Niki de Saint Phalle, Henri Matisse and Robert Rauschenberg,[4] as well as ongoing acquisitions by contemporary artists.[1]
On 8 November 1993, six works by Picasso and two by Georges Braque, totaling more than £40 million, were stolen from the museum in a coup in which the burglars came in through the roof by night, copying a method from the 1955 French film Rififi.[5] All six of the Picasso paintings and one of the Braque paintings have been recovered.[6]
Pontus Hultén Collection
In 2005, former museum director Pontus Hultén bequeathed over 700 works of art to Moderna Museet, along with his archive and library. A few works of the collection are on display with the museum's permanent collection; many others are exhibited in the purpose-built Pontus Hultén Study Gallery.[7]
Sculpture park
The museum has a sculpture park on the island with works by sculptors of diverse nationalities.[8]
- The Four Elements, Alexander Calder, 1961
- Le Paradis fantastique, Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, 1966
- Déjeuner sur l'herbe, Pablo Picasso and Carl Nesjar, 1962
- Monumentalfigur, Christian Berg, 1927
- Monument över den sista cigaretten, Erik Dietman, 1975
- Lenin Monument April 13th 1917, Björn Lövin, 1977
- Mannen på templet, Bjørn Nørgaard, 1980
- Svart svensk granit, Ulrich Rückriem, 1981
- Pavilion Sculpture II, Dan Graham, 1984
- Louisa, Thomas M. Woodruff, 1987
- Freedom and Belief (their own affair), Joseph Kosuth, 1998
- No title, Per Kirkeby, 1999–2000
- Instabil, Lars Englund, 2005
- Närkontakt, Gustav Kraitz, 2008
Architecture
The museum was initially housed in Exercishuset on Skeppsholmen.[9]
From 1994 to 1998, it was temporarily moved to another location, the Spårvägshallarna,[10] in Stockholm while the new building on Skeppsholmen, designed by the Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, was built.[11] The Pontus Hultén Study Gallery was designed by Renzo Piano.
The museum shares its premises with the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design.
Activity
The museum organizes and is a venue for temporary contemporary art exhibitions throughout the year. In 2005, the museum hosted the onedotzero festival with the intention of attracting a new, younger audience to the museum with screenings, installations, talks and live VJ audio-visual events.[12]
Until 4 October 2026, Moderna Museet is presenting Brassaï. The Secret Signs of Paris, an exhibition on the Hungarian-French photographer’s depictions of Parisian street life, signs, graffiti, and nocturnal urban culture.[13]
Directors
- 1958–1973: Pontus Hultén[7]
- 1973–1977: Philip von Schantz
- 1977–1979: Karin Lindegren
- 1980–1989: Olle Granath
- 1989–1995: Björn Springfeldt
- 1996–2001: David Elliott
- 2001–2010: Lars Nittve
- 2010–2018: Daniel Birnbaum[14]
- 2018–2019: Ann-Sofi Noring (acting)[15]
- Since 2019: Gitte Ørskou[15][16]
