The Nordic Nomad

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm’s 7 best art museums (and what artworks to see)

The Nordics • See & do • Stockholm’s 7 best art museums (and what artworks to see)

The full list of art museums to explore while in Stockholm, Sweden

Looking for the best art museums in Stockholm? The Swedish capital has so many art museums with everything from Renaissance masters to the newest contemporary works that it can be difficult to decide which to visit first. Find out which art museums in Stockholm we think are the best right now, as well as our picks for what pieces of art to look for.

Liljevalchs Konsthall

The industrialist Carl Fredrik Liljevalch (1837-1909) left a substantial estate, which was used to fund the opening of Liljevalchs in 1916. It was the country’s first contemporary art gallery to be accessible to the general public. In 2020, the architect firm Wingårdhs and the artist Ingegerd Råman added a stark addition to the Carl Bergsten-designed original structure. The 12-meter-tall granite column with the sculpture The Archer by Carl Milles on it in front of the entrance is a focal point. If you go in the spring, be sure to check out the Spring Salon, an open-call exhibition for artists over the age of 18 that is judged by a jury.

Read the full article on Liljevalchs.

Liljevalchs Konsthall
Djurgårdsvägen 60
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Liljevalchs Konsthall

Nationalmuseum

2018 saw the reopening of the Nationalmuseum following a protracted building restoration. The Nationalmuseum is Sweden’s national museum of fine art and design. Its holdings span from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century and include works of applied art and design that have been created up to the present. The museum has a particularly strong collection of Swedish art from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Highlights of Swedish art history include The Lady with a Veil by Alexander Roslin and Midsummer Dance by Anders Zorn. However, the dramatic Bringing Home the Body of King Charles XII by Gustaf Cederström, which is on display in the museum’s main staircase, is our favourite.

Nationalmuseum
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Nationalmuseum

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Moderna Museet

One of the top galleries for modern and contemporary art in Europe is Moderna Museet. The museum of modern art in Stockholm preserves, collects, and displays works of art from the early 20th century as well as images dating back to 1840. Rafael Moneo, a Spanish architect, created the current museum building, which was completed in 1998 and is attached wall to wall to the previous building. Around 130,000 different pieces of art are in the museum’s collection, but Robert Rauschenberg’s Monogram, a sculpture of a goat with a tire around its waist, Donald Judd’s magnificent wall sculptures made of galvanised steel, and Hilma af Klint’s mystic paintings are the ones to look for.

Moderna Museet
Exercisplan 4
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Moderna Museet

Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum

An architectural wonder, a structure with a golden facade, can be found in Vasaparken. The striking structure houses an art hall where a variety of exhibitions by artists, mostly from Sweden, are displayed. A replica of founder Sven-Harry Karlsson’s former residence, the 18th-century farm Ekholmsnäs on Lidingö, is located on the roof. Visitors are welcome to enter the “home” and participate in the art collection that Karlsson has devoted 35 years to building up. Here is one of the largest private collections of Nordic art in Sweden, with a focus on many pieces by Carl Fredrik Hill. In addition, the collection includes works by August Strindberg, Helene Schjerfbeck, Ernst Josephson, and others, as well as furniture by Gio Ponti and carpets by Märta Måås-Fjetterström. A great way to conclude your visit is to climb to the roof, which has a sculpture terrace and a stunning view of Stockholm.

Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum
Eastmansvägen 10
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum

Carl Eldhs Ateljémuseum

In 1919, artist Carl Eldh had a home constructed specifically for him, away from the bustle of the city, with two spacious studios on a rocky hill with a panoramic view of lake Brunnsviken. The Carl Eldhs Ateljémueum, which first opened to the public in 1963 and exhibits the sculptor’s unaltered studio spaces, is regarded as one of the most significant Swedish artists of the 20th century. The two studios and a workshop, which are the largest parts of the house, are home to hundreds of Eldh’s creations. What we love most about the museum is how it seems as if the artist himself has only recently left the space.

Carl Eldhs Ateljémuseum
Lögebodavägen 10
Stockholm
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Henrik Nero

Millesgården

The former residence of Carl and Olga Milles, Millesgården, is a two-hectare well-balanced scenography with terraces, fountains, stairs, sculptures, and columns that can be seen as a work of art in and of itself. The home was built in 1908 and was designed by architect Carl M. Bengtsson for the newlyweds with space for each of their individual art studios. The expansive studio and lower terrace, where the Milles’s wished to evoke the gardens of Italy’s Mediterranean coast, are arguably the museum’s highlights.

Millesgården
Herserudsvägen 32
Lidingö
Sweden

Photography courtesy of Millesgården

Artipelag

Around 20 kilometres east of the city, art meets the Stockholm archipelago at Artipelag. Swedish brand Babybjörn’s founder, Björn Jakokson, came up with the idea for this art museum, which is the late architect Johan Nyrén’s final and arguably best work. Their shared goal was to develop a highly regarded tourist destination with international art exhibitions, motivational events, and delectable cuisine. The only constant is Artipelag’s permanent outdoor exhibition Sculpture in Nature – artworks by Jaume Plensa, Maria Miesenberger, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lars Nilsson and Klara Kristalova that can be seen along the walking paths in the surrounding woods and meadows and along the seashore.