The Museum of Contemporary Art in Stockholm is one of the attractions of the Swedish capital. This cultural institution has been operating since the middle of the 20th century. Today it annually attracts a huge number of tourists with its outstanding collection. In this article, we will talk about the most interesting exhibits and give feedback from visitors.
History of Creation
The Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm first opened its doors to visitors in 1958. Otto Skeld became its first director.
In the 1990s, the building was radically rebuilt by the famous Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. One of the galleries for the museum was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who is considered one of the founders of the high-tech style.
The museum is located in the Swedish capital on the island of Skeppsholmen in S altschen Bay. This is the very center of Stockholm. Nearby are the East Asian Museum and the Museum of Architecture. A jazz festival is held annually on the island.
Moreone attraction of the island, which attracts a large number of tourists, are several dozen old wooden ships moored off the eastern shore. Some of them can be visited and explored.
The museum itself has the status of a state institution, works directly under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture. Officially, its mission is to exhibit, preserve and disseminate the art of the XX-XXI centuries in all its forms and manifestations. State funding allows you to have unique works of famous masters in the collection.
Manual
The current director of the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm is the Swedish art historian and art critic Daniel Birnbaum. He has headed the cultural institution since 2010. At the same time, he leads the Higher Art School "Städel" as rector.
He is a popular art critic in Sweden. Gained popularity by becoming one of the curators of the First and Second Biennale of Contemporary Art in Moscow. Directed the 53rd Venice Biennale.
Many of his creative projects are being implemented on the territory of our country. For example, together with the Russian poet Yevgeny Bunimovich, he acted as a curator of the Moscow Poetry Club.
Collection
Moderna museet is famous for its unique collection of contemporary art. About 100 thousand works are presented here. Most of them belong to world-famous masters.
In the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholmvisitors will be able to enjoy the creations of Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Kazimir Malevich. Here are the works of Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol.
For our compatriots, the exhibition of Russian constructivists will be of particular interest. For example, the Monument of the Third International, which is also called the Tatlin Tower. This is a project of a monument dedicated to the Third International, designed by the Soviet avant-garde architect Vladimir Tatlin.
The construction of this tower was supposed to be carried out in Petrograd after the October Revolution. It was a grandiose iron monument, which was supposed to appear in 7-story rotating buildings. Its erection was never realized, as the Soviet authorities cooled off towards the very avant-garde in the late 1920s.
In 1993, the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm was at the center of a scandal when two works by French graphic artist Georges Braque and six paintings by Pablo Picasso were stolen from it. The total value of the stolen was estimated at 40 million pounds. Only three paintings by Picasso were found and returned to the exhibition.
It is important that since 2016, its visit, like other state museums in Sweden, has become free.
Letatlin
In the museum you will really find something that everyone should see in Stockholm. Another exhibit that will be of interest to connoisseurs of Russian art is an individual non-motorized aircraft. This is a conceptual work of the same Vladimir Tatlin, known as "Letatlin".
For the first time it was brought to life by him, together with several assistants, in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Three almost identical copies of Letatlin were made. Only one original has survived to this day, and even then with several lost details. Now it is in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
In Stockholm, an attempt was made in the early 1990s to reconstruct the machine. The main goal of modern artists was to convey its appearance. It is this model that is exhibited in Stockholm today.
Monument to Lenin
In fact, this monument looks like a piece of pavers with tram rails running along it.
The history of this piece of contemporary art goes back to 1917, when Vladimir Lenin visited Stockholm. It was in the Swedish capital that he bought a three-piece suit, in which he later appeared at a historical moment on an armored car in front of the residents of Petrograd.
The photo taken on April 13, 1917 shows her next to the exhibit, showing the moment when Vladimir Ilyich steps over the tram rails. The picture became very popular, was published in many publications. Contemporaries recall that Lenin at that moment participated in the demonstration. He stumbled and nearly fell over.
In the 1970s, the Swedish sculptor Bjorn Levin, having carefully studied the photograph, cut out a piece of pavement with a tram rail along whichIlyich walked. It was installed near the building of the Museum of Modern Art as an art object.
Reviews
Visitors who have visited this museum claim that all fans of contemporary art should go to it. There are so many famous names and showrooms here that you are sure to find something that will interest you.
Experts even claim that Stockholm has one of the best collections in Europe.
Tourists are definitely advised to visit the store located on the territory of the museum. It sells a variety of various and pleasant souvenirs, as well as books on contemporary art. There is also a restaurant on its territory, which offers an attractive view of the old city.
The only thing is to come here prepared. To those who have not read anything about contemporary art before, much may seem completely incomprehensible.
