The Swedish National Museum finally reopened after 5 years of reconstruction and an investment of 132 million dollars! The renovation was overseen by the Swedish architects Gert Wingårdh and Erik Wikerstål, and I must say they did a great job!
I went to see it and the space and the arrangements are much better than before – more light, more artwork on display, moving freely through the rooms now painted in yellow, pink and blue.
I especially love the sculpture garden where you can just walk in and hang out. The new cafe and restaurant seem lovely but they were very crowded as now everyone wants to see the newly re-opened museum. Although you can still only see just 8 percent of the museums vast collection, it is still more objects than before.
Image: Ekaterina Larsson
Image: Ekaterina Larsson
A bit of history about the building – it was designed to house the collections of King Gustav III in 1792. The Prussian architect Friedrich August Stüler, who also designed the Neues Museum in Berlin, was commissioned to design the exterior and general layout.
The Swedish architect Fredrik Scholander was responsible for executing the project. The building took 22 years to complete.
Image: Swedish National Museum
Image: Ekaterina Larsson
I totally recommend downloading the Nationalmuseum Guide app – it will make your experience so much better. It helps of course if you read in advance a bit about Rembrandt, Cezanne, Carl Larsson, Anders Zorn.
If you are an art nerd like me, you will easier notice the brush strokes, the Japonism elements, the history elements woven in.
It will save you a lot of time as well – I spent about two hours and did not manage to see the temporary exhibitions of the first John Singer Sargent exhibition in the Nordic region and “Design Stories,” a view of the current design landscape in Sweden, told through the stories and objects of 10 prominent female designers. I will definitely go back though!
Image: Ekaterina Larsson
The permanent exhibition is free, and the entrance level will be open to the public free of charge. The overseeing architects imagined that this space could become a social hub for cultural people in Stockholm. I truly hope it will be that way and give more life to the museum!
