The exhibition Pär Engsheden and Sara Danius’s Nobel Gowns opens at Nationalmuseum on June 16

On June 26, the exhibition featuring the Nobel gowns that Pär Engsheden created for Sara Danius will open. The iconic garments are on display together with the accessories that was worn with them and Carl Bengtsson's photographs of Sara Danius wearing the gowns. The exhibition will remain on show until February 21.

“Sara Danius is wearing the most courageous choice of the evening! An eye-popping cerise cape paired with a cognac-coloured gown. 25 metres of gorgeous silk taffeta were used for this Pär Engsheden creation”, reported Cia Jansson, Editor-in-Chief of the fashion magazine Elle during SVT's live broadcast from the Nobel Banquet in 2018.

Pär Engsheden is one of Sweden's foremost designers. Between 2015 and 2018 he created four notable dresses for Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy. The design process involved an unusually close collaboration between the couturier and the wearer of his creations. Their conversations about fashion, philosophy and literature spanned dinners, trips, letters and text messages, as well as countless fittings. With Danius as his muse, Engsheden created four unique dresses that each tell an individual story.

Pär Engsheden and Sara Danius’s Nobel Gowns offers the opportunity to view these iconic garments in real life, as well as the accessories that Danius wore with them and Carl Bengtsson's photographs of her wearing the dresses. The exhibition is part of an artistic research project that Pär Engsheden is conducting at Beckmans College of Design, where he has also headed the fashion programme since 2013.

The exhibition is produced in close collaboration with Pär Engsheden and Sara Danius and her family. It is based on Pär Engsheden's artistic research and is a collaboration with Beckmans College of Design, which will also jointly publish a book about the research in connection with a seminar to be held during the exhibition period. The exhibition has been made possible by the generous support of Nationalmusei Vänner.

Thanks to the especially kind donation by Sara and Leo Danius of the gowns, with the support of the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the garments are included in Nationalmuseum's collections. Carl Bengtsson's photographs of Sara Danius wearing the gowns are also part of the museum collections, thanks to his generous donation.

A publication about the exhibition focusing on Sara Danius and her own fashion research will be published by Nationalmuseum. An audio guide will also be available in the Nationalmuseum Visitor Guide app. A limited number of visitors are welcome in the exhibition at the same time, tickets can be bought at the museum or pre-purchased on the website.

Pär Engsheden and Sara Danius’s Nobel Gowns will be presented on the middle floor of Nationalmuseum from 16 June – 21 February 2021.

Press Preview
The exhibition will be presented to the press on Friday, June 12 at 10 am. To be able to maintain a safe distance the number of places is limited. Submit your interest by 10 June to press@nationalmuseum.se. Please note that accreditation is required to attend.

For more information
Hanna Tottmar, Head of press, press@nationalmuseum.se, 08-5195 4400