Nationalmuseum has made a major loan of works to the Alexander Roslin exhibition at Rijksmuseum Twenthe in the Netherlands, which opens on 18 October. The loan comprises 16 well-known portraits, including The Lady with the Veil, Zoie Ghika and John Jennings Esq., his Brother and Sister-in-Law. This is the first-ever exhibition in the Netherlands devoted to Alexander Roslin and his works.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a French tapestry from the18th century depicting an allegory of the month of October. It was originally one of a twelve-piece series presented to Eric Sparre on his departure as ambassador in France in 1717. The acquisition means that two of the original twelve tapestries are now back in Sweden.
Nationalmuseum has added an exciting piece by Czech ceramicist Ivan Jelinek to its collection of contemporary applied art. The new acquisition is a large ceramic teapot inspired by the Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland. With its curvaceous lines and highly imaginative design, the piece is typical of the artist’s distinctive work.
Nationalmuseum has launched its first digital journal, which is available online to download and read free of charge. The Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm contains academic articles on art history relating to Nationalmuseum’s collections. The journal is moving to digital-only format and will be available through the DiVA portal and the museum’s own website.
Nationalmuseum has made a major loan of works to the Pehr Hilleström exhibition at the Sinebrychoff Art Museum in Helsinki. The loan comprises some 20 works by this artist best known for his documentary paintings of 18th-century Stockholm. The exhibition opens on 4 September and runs until 11 January.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a selection of photographic portraits by Kerstin Bernhard for the Swedish National Portrait Gallery. The portraits have been donated by Carl Johan Bernhard, the photographer’s nephew and assistant. One of the most prominent Swedish photographers of the 20th century, Kerstin Bernhard would have been 100 years old this year.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a previously unknown portrait of Johan Tobias Sergel drawn in 1774 by his French colleague and friend François-André Vincent. The pen-and-wash drawing is an unusually vivid image of the Swedish sculptor in the artistic environment of Rome. Despite its style, Vincent’s portrait is not a caricature but rather a snapshot captured by a friend and fellow artist.
Following the success of the Peredvizhniki exhibition, Nationalmuseum is featuring Russian art in a wider perspective this autumn. From Tsars to Commissars will be an exhibition of works by artists who came before and after the Peredvizhniki. Co-produced with the Russian Museum in St Petersburg, the exhibition will include Russian and Soviet art from the 19th century through to 1960.
Nationalmuseum’s Hans Gedda exhibition is going on tour and will be on show this summer at Dunkers kulturhus in Helsingborg. The exhibition opens on 14 June and runs until 28 September. The 150 artworks on display include several newly added photographs and drawings.
On 14 June, the Crossing Borders exhibition opens at Gripsholm Castle, featuring portraits of Swedes who have pursued their career or made their name outside of Sweden. The exhibition is also on show at Stockholm Arlanda Airport during the spring and summer. A new addition to the exhibits at Gripsholm will be Sanna Sjöswärd’s recent portrait of Carl Bildt.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a view of Rome with the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in the foreground, painted in 1836 by Constantin Hansen. In recent decades, oil sketches featuring Italian motifs have been increasingly sought after by museums and private collectors alike. Nationalmuseum is therefore especially pleased to have acquired Hansen’s splendid little Roman scene.
The recent acquisition of a Bruno Liljefors painting has enabled Nationalmuseum to recreate one of the artist’s most ambitious works. Cat in a Summer Meadow was composed alongside Nestlings of Red-Backed Shrike, already in the museum’s collection. Now, the two paintings are on display in a single frame in the exhibition Highlights, as the artist originally intended.
