Nationalmuseum has acquired a portrait of Axel von Fersen at the age of 23, painted in London in the summer of 1778. The superb miniature by an unknown British artist depicts a self-assured young man, perhaps on account of his intended marriage to a rich heiress.
Nationalmuseum has received 25 silver artefacts, forming 11 works, generously donated by the artist Anna Atterling. All the pieces were made using the silversmithing technique developed by Atterling, which results in delicate forms with decorative cavities. Several of the pieces will be on display in The Joy of Giving exhibition opening on 5 July.
Nationalmuseum’s collections include many exquisite, representative examples of Swedish and European silver from the 16th century to the present day. This unique collection has come about partly as a result of many generous donations and financial contributions received over the years. The exhibition The Joy of Giving presents some 80 gifts received by the museum in recent decades.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a portrait of Cassiano dal Pozzo, a prominent patron of the arts in 17th-century Rome. The drawing in red chalk was made in the 1620s by an unknown artist. There was previously only one known portrait of dal Pozzo, made about a decade later.
During the summer you can see a number of exhibitions produced by Nationalmuseum. At Nationalmuseum in Stockholm you can see The Garden – Six Centuries of Art and Nature, Beauty and the Unexpected and The Joy of Giving – silver donations. At The Gustavsberg Porcelain Museum Bathrooms for everyone! is on show, at Nationalmuseum Jamtli Ideal and Reality and at Läckö Castle Animals in Art.
Nationalmuseum has received six unique pieces of jewellery designed by the Swedish silversmith Kerstin Öhlin Lejonklou. The pieces, in gold and oxidized silver set with brilliants, tanzanite, rubies and mandarin garnet, were designed between 1974 and 2007. They have been generously donated by the artist herself, who is closing her Östersund studio after 60 years.
Nationalmuseum has acquired its first sculpture by Camille Claudel, one of the most groundbreaking artists of the late 19th century. In her sculptures, Claudel explored her creativity and her lived experience, developing a highly personal style that broke with tradition. This prestigious acquisition symbolises the culmination of Nationalmuseum’s multiyear project focusing on female sculptors.
Beauty and the Unexpected features modern and contemporary American crafts selected by former gallerist and craft educator Helen W. Drutt English. The exhibition displays 81 objects including jewelry, chairs, ceramics, wall pieces and textiles from the 1950s until today.
On 23 March Nationalmuseum opens an exhibition about the Swedish miniature painter Peter Adolf Hall. He revolutionised the art of miniature portraits in Paris in the latter half of the 18th century and enjoyed great success. But how Hall came by his innovative miniature painting technique, and how he learned or developed this art form, remains a mystery.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a self-portrait by Lié-Louis Périn-Salbreux, a French miniaturist. The piece is one of the artist’s later works and, unlike many of his other self-portraits, is unusually modest and largely free from affectation.
On 17 February the exhibition Swedish Ecstasy opens at Bozar in Brussels, showcasing works by Swedish artists inspired by mysticism and spirituality. As partner in the project, Nationalmuseum is providing 40 works by Carl Fredrik Hill, Ernst Josephson and August Strindberg on loan.
Nationalmuseum has acquired three views of French gardens and parks painted in the latter half of the 18th century by Louis-Gabriel Moreau and Alexandre Dunouy. The park at Ermenonville features in two of the paintings, one of which shows the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau picking flowers.
