Thanks to a donation from the Bengt Julin Fund, part of the Friends of Nationalmuseum, Nationalmuseum’s newly-renovated building will feature a unique artistic adornment. The artist Frida Fjellman has created a sculpture in glass, wood and metal.
The National Museum has acquired a portrait of P.A. Söderström, a retired farmer. It was taken in 1962 by the photographer Sune Jonsson. It was included in the book Images of the Children of Grace. The portrait is an interesting example of Jonsson's documentary photography, and is also one of the few representations of a small farmer in Sweden’s National Portrait Gallery.
Nationalmuseum has acquired three landscapes by travelling German artists. Ernst Fries’ The Waterfalls at Tivoli with the Ponte Lupo, Temple of Vesta, and Temple of Sibyl, Carl Morgenstern's View towards Sorrento, and Georg Eduard Otto Saal’s Study of Vermafossen Waterfall. Nationalmuseum’s collections previously contained no works of this kind by German artists.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a painting by Per Krafft the Younger (1777-1863) depicting the blind former general Belisarius. This painting ought to be regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish works executed in the French Neoclassical style.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a work by one of the foremost Italian artists of the seventeenth century, Salvator Rosa (1615-1673). The work belongs to a distinct and important category within Rosa’s artistic production, his panel drawings. Nationalmuseum is now second only to the Pitti Palace in Florence in having such a distinguished collection of this type of work by the artist.
Nationalmuseum houses Sweden's largest collection of drawings by the Dutch masters. The collection includes important works by Rembrandt and his pupils, as well as drawings by Abraham Bloemaert, Jan van Goyen, Herman Saftleven, Willem van de Velde, and many others. This richly illustrated catalogue of Dutch master drawings in Swedish public collections is the result of extensive research work.
A mirror just acquired by Nationalmuseum is among the most magnificent examples of Swedish Baroque ever produced. The ornately carved and gilded frame contains engraved, inset plate glass. The mirror’s unusually well-documented origins go back to the initial order.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a portrait of film legend Garbo, produced in 1928 by American photographer Edward Steichen. It was part of an entire series published in Vanity Fair. The portrait is an interesting example of contemporary avant-garde photography involving an extreme close-up.
The Nationalmuseum has acquired a drawing by François Chauveau depicting the procession of Queen Kristina’s solemn entry into Paris on 8 September 1656. She was then at the height of her sovereign fame and large crowds of people had gathered on the streets of the city to get a glimpse of the Queen. Until now, the drawing has been part of a private art collection in France.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a piece created by the Swedish sculptor Agnes de Frumerie (1869-1937) in collaboration with the French ceramist Edmond Lachenal (1855-1948). The sculpture, which is a nearly one meter tall relief made of glazed stoneware, depicts a group of people in an arc shaped opening.
Nationalmuseum has acquired three paintings from early 19th century France, by the artists Étienne Bouhot and Charles Marie Bouton. The trio of works reflect the era's fascination with city views and different forms of spatiality. These images of everyday life are utterly unsentimental. Perspective and light are important artistic tools that can be used to create a sense of illusion.
Nationalmuseum has acquired three drawings by Edme Bouchardon (1698–1762), François Boucher (1703–70) and Nicolas Bernard Lépicié (1735–84), leading artists of the French 18th century. The works comprise two portraits and a figure study for one of the museum’s most famous paintings, The Triumph of Venus.
