Nationalmuseum and Swedavia have announced a joint project to exhibit art and design at Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Umeå Airport. In spring 2014, an exhibition of photographic portraits of internationally celebrated Swedes will open at Arlanda, creating an opportunity for travellers to enjoy a selection of artworks from Nationalmuseum’s collection.
This year is the 400th anniversary of the birth of André Le Nôtre, creator of the French baroque garden. To mark the occasion, the Château de Versailles is staging an exhibition about this landscape architect and his work, which opens on 22 October. Nationalmuseum is loaning 27 drawings of gardens to the exhibition, most of them by Le Nôtre’s own hand.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a royal dining chair dating from 1754. The chair was made for the dining room of the Royal Palace in Stockholm at the time the royal family first took up residence there. The decoration on the back indicates that it was intended for one of the royal children.
On 5 December, an exhibition on the life and work of photographer Hans Gedda will open at Nationalmuseum. Close to 140 works will be on show in this retrospective covering the period from the 1950s to the present day. Gedda’s celebrated portraits of Angela Davis, Andy Warhol and Nelson Mandela will appear alongside famous Swedes such as Olof Palme, Birgit Nilsson and Jonas Gardell.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a work by Nils Andersson depicting a motif from Norse mythology. The painting was Andersson’s entry in the 1846 subject-painting competition organized by the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. An evocative example of the images of ancient Swedish history painted in the mid-19th century, it is an important contribution to our understanding of the art world at that time.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a unique plate warmer dating from the early 18th century. Manufactured by Rudolf Wittkopf, it is Sweden’s only known surviving example in silver. The plate warmer is evidence of the prestige attached to French style by the Swedish upper class at that time.
Nationalmuseum’s collection of Swedish-French paintings from the 18th century now includes a portrait painted by Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller. It depicts Henri Bertholet-Campan, the son of the French Queen’sFirst Lady of the Bedchamber Henriette Genet-Campan. The acquisition adds an important piece to the fascinating puzzle of Wertmüller’s portrait of Marie Antoinette.
The Swedish National Portrait Gallery has added a photograph by Rolf Winquist of Gertrud Fridh in the role of Medea. It is one of the photographer’s most powerful portraits and dates from 1951. The acquisition is especially significant because it is the collection’s first work by Winquist.
A new portrait of HM Queen Silvia has been donated to the Swedish National Portrait Gallery, which is managed by Nationalmuseum. The portrait, a gift in honour of the Queen’s 70th birthday, was painted earlier this year by Swedish artist Urban Larsson. It will be unveiled at Gripsholm Castle on 11 June.
On 13 June the exhibition Carl Larsson - Friends & Enemies opens in Nationalmuseum’s temporary venue at Konstakademien, the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Focusing on Carl Larsson’s networks and relationships, the exhibition reflects the Swedish art world in the period from 1870 to 1920.
On Saturday 1 June, the 2013 Portrait of Honour will be unveiled at Gripsholm Castle. The subject this year is Hans Blix, who has been portrayed in bronze by sculptor Peter Linde. Dr Blix achieved worldwide recognition for his work on behalf of the international community as director general of the IAEA and chairman of the UN weapons inspection commission.
Gripsholm Castle reopens on Wednesday 15 May and will be open daily from 10am to 4pm until 30 September. Guided tours of the castle in Swedish and English will be available daily. From 16 June visitors can enjoy Music at Gripsholm, a series of concerts.
