Culture

A 20-minute drive from the city proper you’ll find architect Johan Nyrén’s Artipelag art gallery, tucked away in a glade surrounded by forest. There are four main spaces that host exhibitions, past examples of which have included furniture designed by Mats Theselius, fashion by Lars Wallin and an Andy Warhol retrospective. The shop stocks Artipelag’s own creations including ceramics and tote bags. Its 1,100-seat Artbox music hall has hosted everything from grungy gigs to opera.

The Fotografiska sits in a picturesque spot a few minutes walk from Slussen Station. Opened by brothers Per and Jan Broman, the former customs house has four large galleries and about 20 smaller spaces devoted to a changing roster of the world’s best shutterbugs. The city stumped up SEK250m (€24m) for the art nouveau building’s restoration and its character hits an appealing middle ground between flashy and understated. The café-bar and restaurant offer panoramic views over the water.

When the National Museum in Stockholm (Nationalmuseum) reopened after renovations in 2018, a transformed institution stood revealed. The light had been let back in through windows previously sealed and the rooms showcasing vast collections of art, objects and sculptures breathed again. Naturally, visitors have flocked back and haven’t stopped coming since. Notable recent exhibitions include a multimedia retrospective on the Berlin Wall and an exploration of Akira Minagawa’s designs and textiles. “We’ve made the museum a welcoming space”, says Nationalmuseum curator Sara Borgegård Älgå. When dropping by, make sure to lunch at the ground-floor restaurant serving modern Swedish classics and pastries from the museum’s in-house bakery. 

Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2, Central Stockholm, 111 48
nationalmuseum.se