MODERNA MUSEET

When Moderna Museet opened in the drill hall on Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, on 9 May 1958, discussions about starting a new museum for 20th century art had been going on for decades. Friends of Moderna Museet was already formed in 1953. The origins date back to 1925 and the founding of The Art Society was followed in 1937 by The Contemporary Art Society, with a core of nearly 300 patrons and art lovers.

In 1956, while the old drill hall was still being rebuilt, Picasso’s Guernica and the 93 sketches that go with the painting were displayed there. Pontus Hultén succeeded Bo Wennberg in 1960 as museum director, and this was the start of a legendary era for the institution.

Over the following decade, Moderna Museet developed into an international platform for the latest art trends. If the museum’s first decade was characterized by 1960s optimism, its future fate has been equally influenced by the moods of subsequent decades. The turbulence around 1968 had an impact on operations and gave rise to the idea of a museum with a broad spectrum of activities. Olle Granath headed the museum throughout the 1980s. In his final years at the museum he was involved in planning a new museum building.

A design competition was launched in winter 1990-91, and on 10 April, 1991, it was announced that Rafael Moneo from Spain had won the competition. While the new museum building was being built, Moderna Museet was relocated to the tram sheds on Birger Jarlsgatan in central Stockholm. In November 1996, the Englishman David Elliott was appointed director of the museum and was the museum´s first foreign director. The new museum was inaugurated on 1998 with a series exhibitions bridging the gap between the frantic and visionary activities of the museum’s first years and the equally dynamic potential of the now and the future.

Only a few years after opening, it was discovered that the new building had a problem with mold and damp, and plans were made to evacuate the staff and art collection.

Meanwhile, in November 2001, Lars Nittve joined as head of the museum. While the museum on Skeppsholmen was being refurbished in 2002-03, activities moved to the former post office terminal at Klarabergsviadukten 61 in Stockholm. The exhibition activities during that period presented an entirely new concept. Art was shown via other art institutions and other sites throughout Sweden and in a 70 sqm space, shows opened every other Monday at 6 pm with the idea to look at different, unexpected aspects of the artists’ work. On 14 February, 2004, the museum building was reopened. Major efforts were devoted to the presentation of Moderna Museet’s own collection as well as the concept of 1st at the Moderna – every first day of the month a minor solo exhibition was presented in locations throughout the museum.

In 2008 it became clear that the Moderna Museet Malmö would open as a subsidiary to Stockholm, in one of Sweden’s most beautiful exhibition halls. It was inaugurated on December 26, 2009.

The year after, in November 2010, Daniel Birnbaum became the new chief curator and codirector of Moderna Museet together with Ann-Sofi Noring. The leadership model was new for the museum and the two of them presented a broad spectrum of exhibitions combining international blockbusters with intellectual group shows.

Nine years later, after almost a year without a director because of a Swedish government crisis, the Dane Gitte Ørskou was appointed as new director 1 September 2019.

John Peter Nilsson, Friend of the Moderna Museet