The Carl Larsson Portrait Collection, Carl Larssons porträttsamling, Sundborn, Sweden The portraits are of local citizens who were involved in keeping village life ticking over. Larsson painted these ‘fine villagers’ for the parish of Sundborn, and donated the portraits to the village in 1916, with the condition that they remained there and were not moved. This has clearly been a struggle,…
National Museum, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden When I last visited Stockholm in 2015, I was disappointed by the fact that the National Museum was closed for renovations. Then in October 2018, I saw on our French news that it had finally reopened. They showed images from the fine building, the paintings, the Carl Larsson frescos, and I wished I could visit.…
Sundborn Church, Sundborns Kyrka, Sundborn, Sweden Situated on a picturesque spot by Lake Toftan are two little red buildings. These are the church and bell-tower of Sundborn, both covered with wooden shingles, and both sitting charmingly by the water. Although it presents a very traditional Swedish image from a distance, when you get closer, you notice small, ‘modern’ touches, like the…
ABBA The Museum, Stockholm, Sweden ABBA. Love ’em or hate ’em, they are one of the most influential bands in the history of modern music. From 1974 to 1982, the group topped charts all around the world, and in the last few decades they’ve re-emerged and caught up a whole new legion of fans. Even though I love many of…
Maritime Museum, Sjöhistoriska museet, Stockholm, Sweden Maritime history, and the way that people have used the sea for exploration and trade, is fascinating. I never really got it until I visited the oh-so wonderful Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. Since then, if there is a museum on the subject, I’m there. Unfortunately none of the ones I’ve visited since have really…
Ethnographic Museum, Etnografiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden What is interesting about going to Ethnographic Museums in different countries is that they all have a slightly different emphasis: some, like the Museum of Culture in Basel, have a lot of objects from Papua New Guinea; the Ethnographic Museum in Zurich has an extraordinary Chinese collection. Each reflects the interests of the people…
Mora Church, Mora kyrka, Mora, Sweden Right at the end of Mora’s main shopping street are two of its main attractions: Zorngården, which is dedicated to local boy, Anders Zorn, and a grand church. I say grand, but it’s not grand in a south European sort of way – it’s grand by Swedish provincial standards. And that makes it charming…
Zorn’s House, Zorngården, Mora, Sweden Behind the yellow-painted timber walls of this modestly sized house, lies the delightful home of Anders Zorn and his wife Emma, right by the Mora Church. Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside, nor are you really allowed to linger, because you have to take guided tours. This isn’t an ideal combination for me,…
‘Zorn and Carl Larsson – Art and Friendship’ Exhibition, Zorn Museum, Zornmuseet, Mora, Sweden It’s funny how sometimes a small town can be famous for some major things. Mora, quiet, tiny and generally unobtrusive, is famous for three symbols of Swedishness: the Dala Horse (produced in a village nearby), the sturdy, multifunctional Mora knife, and the artist, Anders Zorn. As…
Swedish Army Museum, Armémuseum, Stockholm, Sweden I know some people don’t like army museums – either because they can be seen as being staid and dull, or because of the ethical implications of ‘celebrating’ the savagery of war. Perhaps because both my grandfathers were in the army, I find them quite fascinating. And this one was particularly good. The museum…
The Vasa Museum, Vasamuseet, Stockholm, Sweden This is the story of a ship called the Vasa – the biggest, baddest and crappiest warship to ever set sail in the northern seas. I don’t think it’s going to spoil the story much to say it sank. And sank pretty quickly. But, as they say, one man’s loss is another man’s gain, and…
The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden Clearly if a town has a museum dedicated to the ancient world, I’m there. And I’ll probably be there for a long time. And I was at the Mediterranean Museum for much longer than I expected – and still didn’t see the entire collection. I totally missed the Islamic section,…