The Absolut Art Collection finds a home in Stockholm

When Pernod Ricard acquired ABSOLUT VODKA in 2008, the Swedish Government retained ownership of the Absolut Art Collection. The Government has now donated the collection to the new Spritmuseum.

 “ABSOLUT has always found inspiration in the arts, and creativity is what drives our brand forward. The ABSOLUT ART COLLECTION with its 850 pieces by more than 550 artists is an important legacy of the brand and we are happy that the collection has found its home in Stockholm where it’s now exhibited to the public. The passion for art remains and we are continuing our close collaboration with the art world,” says Ulrika Lövdahl, Global Art Manager at The Absolut Company.

The collaboration with the arts started with Andy Warhol painting the first artwork for ABSOLUT. The legendary story tells that Andy Warhol suggested his idea to Michel Roux (the man who introduced ABSOLUT in the US) with the words: “I love the bottle. I want to do something with it.”

Warhol recommended other artists to collaborate with ABSOLUT and the second one to do an ABSOLUT piece was Keith Haring. Most pieces in the collection were created during the late 1990s and the early 2000s. In that time ABSOLUT initiated a more targeted and long-term investment in art projects in Europe.

Today, the Absolut Art Collection comprises more than 850 pieces by artists such as Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Louise Bourgeois, Helmut Newton, David Shrigley, Douglas Gordon, Sylvie Fleury, Dan Wolgers, Hung Tung-Lu and hundreds of other artists, designers and photographers.

 “Face it!” will be the first ever major retrospective exhibition of the Absolut Art Collection and can be viewed as a cross section through the art scene of the 1980’s and 1990’s. An era which includes the disco balls of Studio 54, the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the introduction of the internet,” says Mia Sundberg, curator of “Face it!” at Spritmuseum.

With the Absolut Art Collection and its 850 works as a base, the museum’s curator, Mia Sundberg will continue to invite artists, curators and creators from different artistic fields to take part in exciting collaborations.

For further information, please contact:

Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, The Absolut Company, +46 (0)70 190 12 07, paula.eriksson@pernod-ricard.com

Elin Wibell, Manager Corporate Communications, The Absolut Company, +46 (0)70 190 10 41, elin.wibell@pernod-ricard.com