Nationalmuseum has acquired a botanical watercolour study by Herman Saftleven from 1683. It depicts a sticky nightshade and was made on commission for Agnes Block, a passionate collector of exotic flora. Only 27 of Saftleven’s botanical studies are known today.
February 8, during Stockholm Design Week, the exhibition by and about Finnish interior designer Eero Aarnio opens at Nationalmuseum Design. Aarnio is one of the best-known figures internationally in the history of modern Finnish design with experimental designs and futuristic reinforced plastic chairs. A press preview will be held on 8 February at 10 am.
Nationalmuseum and The Morgan Library & Museum collaborates in the exhibition Treasures from Nationalmuseum of Sweden opening February 3. More than 75 masterpieces from the collection of Swedish count Carl Gustaf Tessin, now owned by Nationalmuseum, are brought to New York for a rare visit. The show includes works by artists such as Dürer, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau and Boucher.
Nationalmuseum has acquired three landscape studies from Italy in oil by Pierre Henri de Valenciennes and Simon Denis. The works were hastily painted on paper on location, which was a novel approach in the late 18th century. This significant acquisition enables Nationalmuseum to better chart the beginnings of plein air painting in the 19th century.
Nationalmuseum has added several artefacts made from Swedish porphyry to its collection. The museum recently purchased a pair of magnificent Medici-style vases with Swedish royal provenance at auction in the United States. In addition, the museum has acquired a table clock in granitell and an interesting specimen collection of various types of Swedish porphyry.
During Stockholm Design Week 2017, an exhibition by and about Finnish interior designer Eero Aarnio will open at Nationalmuseum Design. Aarnio is one of the best-known figures internationally in the history of modern Finnish design. He made his name in the 1960s with his experimental designs and his futuristic reinforced plastic chairs.
Nationalmuseum has added no fewer than five works by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg to its Danish art collection. Each of the works represents a different segment of Eckersberg’s artistic career: from his student years in Paris, via his artistic rebirth in Paris and Rome, to his firmly established but never stagnant later life in Copenhagen.
Jewellery artist Märta Mattsson gets the Young Applied Artists award for her imaginative work taking diverse historical traditions in art jewellery to new dimensions. The award of SEK 100,000 from the Bengt Julin Fund, administered by the Friends of Nationalmuseum, is given out biennially. The ceremony will take place on 14 November at Nationalmuseum Design.
The latest edition of the Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum is now available. The academic journal in digital format is published annually in English by Nationalmuseum, free to read, download and share. This year’s edition, Volume 22, contains both scientific articles and information about the museum’s acquisitions during 2015.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a sculpted portrait in terracotta created in 1891 by Ida Matton. The bust depicts a young woman wearing a dress typical of the period, with a high collar and puff sleeves. The slight movement of the head, the model’s relaxed style and her dreamy gaze create the impression of a fleeting, momentary portrait.
Nationalmuseum and the Louvre makes an exhibition about the Swedish count Carl Gustaf Tessin, opening in Paris 20 October. It comprises an exclusive selection of 120 paintings and drawings from Tessin’s own art collection, now owned by Nationalmuseum, that documents how artistic styles and tastes evolved in Paris at the height of the Rococo period.
Nationalmuseum is making 3,000 high-resolution images of its most popular artworks available for free download on Wikimedia Commons. Zoomable images will also be added to the museum’s online database. The digitization project is a major advance in making Nationalmuseum’s collections more accessible.
