Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art), Stockholm, Sweden, is a state museum for modern and contemporary art located on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, opened in 1958. In 2009 the museum opened the Moderna Museet Malmö in Malmö.
History
The museum opened in Stockholm on 9May 1958, and opened a branch in Malmö in 2009, in a building that had housed the Rooseum centre for contemporary art.
Directors
1958–1973: Pontus Hultén
1973–1977: Philip von Schantz
1977–1979: Karin Lindegren
1980–1989: Olle Granath
1989–1995: Björn Springfeldt
1996–2001: David Elliott
2001–2010: Lars Nittve
2010–2018: Daniel Birnbaum
2018–2019: Ann-Sofi Noring (acting) Since 2019: Gitte Ørskou
Collection
The museum houses Swedish and international modern and contemporary art, including pieces by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí and a model of the Tatlin's Tower. The museum's collection includes also key works by artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Louise Bourgeois, Niki de Saint Phalle, Henri Matisse and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as ongoing acquisitions by contemporary artists.
On 8November 1993, six works by Picasso and two by Georges Braque totaling more than £40m were stolen from the museum in a renowned coup where the burglars came in through the roof by night, copying the method from the 1955 French film Rififi (French: Du rififi chez les hommes). All six of the Picasso paintings and one of the Braque paintings have been recovered.
Visiting the permanent collection is free of charge, but some of the temporary exhibitions has entrance fees.
Pontus Hultén Collection
In 2005, former museum director Pontus Hultén bequeathed over 700 works of art to Moderna Museet, along with his archive and library. A few works of the collection are on display with the museum's permanent collection; many others are exhibited in the purpose-built Pontus Hultén Study Gallery.
Sculpture park
The museum has a sculpture park on the island with works by sculptors of diverse nationalities. The Four Elements, Alexander Calder, 1961 Le Paradis fantastique, Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, 1966 Déjeuner sur l'herbe, Pablo Picasso and Carl Nesjar, 1962 Monumentalfigur, Christian Berg, 1927 Monument över den sista cigaretten, Erik Dietman, 1975 Lenin Monument April 13th 1917, Björn Lövin, 1977 Mannen på templet, Bjørn Nørgaard, 1980 Svart svensk granit, Ulrich Rückriem, 1981 Pavilion Sculpture II, Dan Graham, 1984 Louisa, Thomas M. Woodruff, 1987 Freedom and Belief (their own affair), Joseph Kosuth, 1998 No title, Per Kirkeby, 1999–2000 Instabil, Lars Englund, 2005 Närkontakt, Gustav Kraitz, 2008
Architecture
The museum was initially housed in Exercishuset on Skeppsholmen.
In 1994–98, it was temporarily moved to another location, the Spårvägshallarna, in Stockholm while the new building on Skeppsholmen, designed by the Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, was built. The Pontus Hultén Study Gallery was designed by Renzo Piano.
it is joined to ArkDes, aka the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design.
Activity
The museum organizes and is a venue for temporary contemporary art exhibitions throughout the year. In 2005, the museum hosted the onedotzero festival bringing a new younger audience to the museum with screenings, installations, talks and live VJ audio-visual events.