Press release -
New book about the Swedish National Portrait Gallery
The Swedish National Portrait Gallery comprises over 5 300 works of art and is the world’s oldest national portrait gallery. Nationalmuseum administer the collection which is on show at the Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred. To mark the gallery’s bicentenary, a book that traces the history of the collection will be released.
The origins of the Swedish National Portrait Gallery can be traced back to what by international standards was a modest art collection amassed at the castle by King Gustav Vasa in the mid 16th century. Queen Hedvig Eleonora and later King Gustav III developed this into a larger portrait collection, laying the foundations for what became a national portrait gallery, established by King Karl XIV Johan in 1822 at the instigation of his Lord Chamberlain, Adolf Ludvig Stierneld, who had a strong interest in history. Originally devoted exclusively to depictions of royal personages, the gallery evolved into a collection of portraits of prominent Swedish men and women. A number of portraits of well-known Swedes are added to the collection each year, including an annual Portrait of Honour.
This bicentenary year will see the publication of the book The Swedish National Portrait Gallery: A Nation’s Memory over Six Centuries. The book traces the history of the collection in five introductory chapters, from the time of Gustav Vasa through to the present day. It also includes 340 commentaries on individual masterpieces, grouped into six eras, written by specialists from the gallery staff and external experts. The richly illustrated volume features more than 450 images, mostly in colour and is published in Swedish and English. The book will be on sale in the Nationalmuseum gift shop and online bookshop.
Media enquiries
Hanna Tottmar, head of press, press@nationalmuseum.se, +46 8 5195 4400
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Nationalmuseum is Sweden’s museum of art and design. The collections comprise some 700 000 objects, including paintings, sculpture, drawings and graphic art from the 16th century up to the beginning of the 20th century and the collection of applied art and design up to the present day. Nationalmuseum’s responsibility is to preserve and make art accessible and provide knowledge. The museum was appointed the Swedish Museum of the Year 2022.
