16 Oct 2018
Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum reopens following refurbishment
BY Luke Cloherty
Larger exhibition areas across three floors will showcase more than 5,000 artworks including paintings, sculpture and photography at the reopened Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden following a revamp.
With work on show ranging from the 16th century to the present day, Nationalmuseum will also display drawings, prints, portrait photography, ceramics and applied arts.
The museum is Sweden’s largest museum of art and design and its collections comprise more than 700,000 objects in total. It was originally built between 1844 and 1866 and was designed by German architect Friedrich August Stüler.
The building has been repurposed for the museum’s changing needs over the years. However, it has never had a full renovation and this one has been undertaken to meet modern international safety, climate control, fire safety, working environment and logistics standards.
"The renovation project by two leading Scandinavian architecture practices – Wingårdhs and Wikerstål Arkitekter – has created a modern, visitor-friendly museum environment better equipped for the display of art on both a large and a small scale while preserving the integrity of the museum’s architectural heritage," the museum said in a statement.
"The visitor experience has been improved by opening more than 300 windows in the building, the majority of which have been shuttered since the 1930s, to create light-filled spaces controlled by a new lighting system sensitive to changes in daylight."
A new sculpture courtyard, creative workshops and restaurant have also been put in, as well as new temporary exhibition spaces.
Two original courtyards have been reopened to the public and merged with the entrance hall into one large space, while a new elevator tower has been installed to improve accessibility.
Interiors were designed by New York-based practice Joel Sanders Architect, while Sweden-based Henrik Widenheim and Albert France-Lanord have designed exhibitions.
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