Northern Europe

Norway's largest public collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures is found in the National Gallery, established in 1837. The gallery's central attractions include Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and "Madonna". The permanent exhibition shows highlights from the collection and national icons from the romantic period until the mid-1900s. Also on display are works by international painters and sculptors, including the French impressionists. https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?TLp=183079&National-Gallery

On the northern shore of Laajalahti Bay, in Tarvaspää, lies the Gallen-Kallela Museum, designed and built by one of Finland’s finest artists, Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Tarvaspää’s beautiful surroundings and the museum’s unique architecture provide the perfect setting for a museum visit. Originally a studio and residence, the museum opened to the public in 1961. The temporary exhibitions that present the art and life of Gallen-Kallela are shown alongside present-day works of contemporary art, while a wide range of events and activities are arranged during the year, with the museum acting as a centre for information on the great artist. Tarvaspää Cafe Zoceria is located in a delightful villa next to the museum where visitors can enjoy great coffee, snacks, salads and soups. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/gallen-kallela-museum-2/

Hanasaari is an enchanting place in the midst of the archipelago, close to the Helsinki city centre. The Hanasaari Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre promotes and develops interaction between Finland and Sweden, as well as co-operation in all areas of society. Hanasaari’s home is a modern well-maintained building, amply decorated with modern Finnish and Swedish art. The Hanasaari cultural centre was inaugurated on 1 June 1975 by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and President Urho Kekkonen of Finland. The building was designed by architect Veikko Malmio, and its original interior decorations by Professor Yrjö Sotamaa. An art competition was organised during the building phase, and the winner was revealed by King Carl XVI Gustaf when he inaugurated the house. The winning piece was Heikki Häiväoja‘s grand relief “Vuorovaikutus” (Interaction). Two other participating works were also purchased for Hanasaari: Marjatta Weckström‘s relief “Vuodenajat” (The seasons), which today can be seen in Restaurant Johannes, and the bronze front doors with small coloured windows embedded in them by Kauko Räsänen. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/hanasaari-swedish-finnish-cultural-centre/

The City of Espoo is unique in not having a single centre, but instead have a number of major urban centres. One of these is Tapiola, which can lay claim to being the cultural heart of the city, as it features the Espoo Cultural Centre, home to the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Espoo City Theatre, and two concert spaces in Louhisali and Tapiolasali. Tapiola is also home to the nearby WeeGee Exhibition Centre, which consists of four very different museums: EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, KAMU – Espoo City Museum, the Finnish Toy Museum Hevosenkenkä and the Finnish Museum of Horology. WeeGee Exhibition Centre provides a wide range of experiences for visitors of all ages. There are numerous temporary exhibitions in the museums to complement their permanent collections, and guided tours, workshops and themed events are held throughout the year. The centre also houses the museum shop, perfect for picking up souvenirs, and the Cafe WeeGee. Behind the main building visitors will find the visionary Futuro House, while the Studio Suuronen exhibitions are always interesting. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/exhibition-centre-weegee/

ARoS is one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe. And each year, ARoS has about one million visitors, making it the most frequented art museum in Scandinavia. Enjoy a Michelin experience in Aarhus at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. ARoS is the main art museum in Aarhus and one of the largest museums in Northern Europe. ARoS offers a large number of exhibitions and activities all year round. In the downstairs area, you can enjoy the major special exhibitions, with the 'nine spaces' presenting international art installations. On the upper floors house the museum's own collections of art from the 19th century up to the present day. In Your rainbow panorama, you can move around in a 150 meter long, circular panoramic path with 360º views of the surrounding city. ARoS has two Michelin-stars in the Michelin attraction's guide. http://www.visitaarhus.com/ln-int/aros-aarhus-art-museum-gdk1077501

he Sara Hildén Art Museum, which is the permanent home of the collection of modern art, Finnish and foreign, owned by the Sara Hildén Foundation, is maintained by the City of Tampere. Sara Hildén Foundation Collection currently amounts to some 4500 works. It is thus a comprehensive collection which presents a broad cross section of the development in modern art over the last forty years. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/sara-hilden-art-museum/

The Tampere Art Museum was established in 1931. It was founded by the Tampere Art Society which had already been collecting art and arranging art exhibitions in Tampere since the beginning of the last century. The museum is renowned for its active exhibition policy, especially exhibitions presenting ancient cultures, wide-ranging publication activities, the Young Artist of the Year event and Moominvalley, which can be found in the city main library “Metso”. The Tampere Art Museum presents important themes from art history and phenomena of contemporary art in both its Finnish and international exhibitions. The museum’s collections consist mainly of domestic art from the early 19th century onwards. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/tampere-art-museum/

A museum of contemporary art built around Professor Maire Gullichsen’s collection in 1981. Pori Art Museum is a museum of contemporary art built around Professor Maire Gullichsen’s collection in 1981, showcasing the most recent trends in Finnish and international art. Constructivism, Fluxus and the trends in land and conceptual art have shown the way for exploring new phenomena. Functioning as the regional art museum of Satakunta, the collections and archives of the museum focus on modern and contemporary art. Pedagogic activities serve customers of all ages and help in finding new approaches to art and visual culture. The museum shop serves art lovers and professionals. The range of art literature related to the exhibitions and collections includes publications of international museums and artists, art magazines and art theory literature. The museum’s own series of exhibition and research publications cover phenomena in art from modernism to contemporary art. At the museum shop, you can also find gifts, cards and accessories connected to the exhibition themes, as well as high-quality art supplies. The museum is located in the lobby of the Art Museum, and it is open when the museum is. You can also pop in the shop without a museum ticket. https://www.visitpori.fi/en/pori-art-museum-2529

At the Mjellby Art Museum, there is a large collection of art from the Halmstad group. It makes it possible to show exhibitions that illustrate their pioneering work in Swedish art history in the 1920s and 1930s, but also provide new insights and lesser-known perspectives on the group's history. The museum also exhibits temporary exhibitions focusing on modernism and its various tracks. The Museum often use topics such as gender, norms, society and politics when produce exhibitions - not infrequently in collaboration with different researchers. Over the years it has published several art books linked to its exhibitions. Mjellby Art Museum has a special assignment to work with surrealism. Here, of course, the Halmstad group's surrealism is at the center, but it also interested in the branches of art direction nationally and internationally. https://www.halmstad.se/upplevagora/konstochmuseer/mjellbykonstmuseum/omoss.23758.html

In addition to hosting concerts by the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and art exhibitions in the Rovaniemi Art Museum, Korundi House of Culture has a wide variety of events and conferences. The building now housing the Korundi House of Culture was originally an old post bus depot dating back to 1933. The modifications and expansion completed in 2009 and 2010 were designed by architect Juhani Pallasmaa. He also had a hand in the design of the Rovaniemi Art Museum, which has been in the old depot since 1986. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/korundi-house-of-culture/

Artist Pentti Ikäheimonen art gallery Villi Villa is located in the middle of a beautiful Finnish lake landscape, only 5 km from the center of Rantasalmi. Come and explore the remodelled building and artwork that breathe both rural and natural beauty. The gallery presents a sales exhibition of Pentti Ikäheimonen and visiting artists as well as works by former masters. https://visitsavonlinna.fi/en/shops/the-art-gallery-villi-villa/

Johanna and Reijo Oras purchased the Tuunaankartano Manor, situated in the heart of the Retretti area in Punkaharju. The manor-house, built in the 1910s, is the permanent location for Johanna Oras´s summer exhibition. A side building will be renovated into the artist´s summer atelier, offering something exceptional in Finland; the public will have the chance to follow the artist at work and see some of the mysterious birth processes of a work of art from inspiration to the final brush touch. https://visitsavonlinna.fi/en/products/the-johanna-oras-manor-gallery/

Malmo Konsthall was opened in 1975 and is one of the Swedens largest spaces for contemporary art. Architect Klas Anshelm has created an exhibition with great flexibility, generous space and fantastic light. ” A large, low concrete box open on the park and the light of heaven ”, described Anshelm himself his creation. The construction materials are light and simple; concrete, glass, wood and aluminium. Most of the gallery has a roof built as a lattice of 550 light domes. The ceiling height varies. The light well – with higher ceilings – has large sloping skylight north. Klas Anshelm got the idea to construction when visiting the sculptor Constantin Brancusi’s Paris studio. The result is a gallery that is both functional and aesthetic. An exhibition space that the artist with endless. Malmö Konsthall arranges annually a number of exhibitions with an international focus. https://www.konsthall.malmo.se/en/om-malmo-konsthall/

At Malmö Art Museum, you can discover Nordic contemporary art and wander through time and space showing the history and development of painting and furniture-making. The museum hosts several important collections and historical donations, including the works of Carl Fredrik Hill (pdf, 375 kB) (1849-1911), whose pictures still evoke challenging thoughts on the human mind. The Herman Gotthardt collection (pdf, 101.8 kB) of Nordic modern 20th-century art is a highly important contribution to the understanding of the early production of Scandinavian modern art. The Museum also has an extensive collection of furniture and handicraft, primarily from southern Sweden. In the Malmö Art Museum's collections are significant Swedish and European ceramics from the 1400s until today. The collection of the Swedish and European Glass from the 1300s onwards, where the Swedish 29th-century glassworks are well represented, is of international interest. As the collection of Swedish and European silver, mainly Swedish silver from the Baroque to the designer Torun Bülow Hübe (1927-2004). There are also objects in the collection of textiles, pewter, brass and bronze that arouses interest. https://malmo.se/Uppleva-och-gora/Besoksmal/Malmo-Konstmuseum/Malmo-Art-Museum.html

The Moderna Museet Malmö is a branch of the famous Swedish Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. It is located in a converted former power station, within walking distance from the center of the old town of Malmö. The former power station was built in 1901 as a brick building, the typical industrial architecture of its time. As part of the modernization, the building received an extension with a red-painted steel sheeting facade and in 2009 the Moderna Museet moved into the old power station. The museum is specialized on Scandinavian and international art of the 20th and 21st century. The changing exhibitions throughout the year are attracting visitors from all around the world. The former turbine hall was converted as an exhibition room and covers an area of over 800 square meters. In addition, the museum also has an educational workshop of about 100 square meters. The Moderna Museet is the only Scandinavian museum that features a significant collection of contemporary art of the 20th century. In its possession are works by Dali, Kandinsky, Matisse and Picasso. https://www.guidebook-sweden.com/en/guidebook/destination/moderna-museet-malmoe-museum-of-modern-art-in-malmoe

The Oulu Museum of Art’s changing exhibitions focuses on topical contemporary art without forgetting local and regional perspectives. The art museum’s second floor is home to themed collections. Visit our website to find out more about our broad variety of public events and workshops. Our museum shop, Ainoa, offers a range of top-quality, distinctive gift items and interior decoration products for people of all ages. The Oulu Museum of Art is one of the Museum and Science Centre Luuppi sites. https://visitoulu.fi/en/tuote/oulu-museum-of-art-2/

Kunsten is like a sculpture growing out of the greenery around it to create a beautiful frame for world-class art. Every year Kunsten welcomes countless guests to explore the collection of modern art. Kunsten – the Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg – has recently been renovated, leaving the architectural gem with a new look when it reopened in 2016. The building is in a league of its own internationally, and it was designed by the world famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in collaboration with Elissa Aalto and Jean-Jacques Baruël. http://www.visitaalborg.com/ln-int/kunsten-museum-modern-art-aalborg-gdk596128

Kunsthal NORD is an art hall with experimental, contemporary art, located in Aalborg’s old power plant. The unique exhibition site has a raw, industrial look, which is the perfect frame for exhibitions. Kunsthal NORD features Danish and international art of high quality, which is focused on new trends in different regional art scenes. Kunsthal NORD is an active and innovative partner at the scene of contemporary art, featuring mostly artists who create something new and unique. Every year Kunsthal NORD produces up to eight thematic exhibitions which feature new boundary-pushing art and cross multiple artistic mediums, generations and regional borders. https://www.visitaalborg.com/aalborg/plan-your-trip/kunsthal-nord-gdk596418

The impressive Utzon Center is a vibrant cultural center located in Aalborg waterfront. The center was designed by the famous Danish architect Jorn Utzon, who was raised in Aalborg, and his son Kim. The center hosts different exhibits throughout the year and presents sketches and designs by Jorn Utzon. However, the center is much more than simply exhibitions. It is a display of art, architecture and design, completely in the spirit of Jorn Utzon. The exhibitions consist of Jørn Utzon’s own architecture and design works, as well as examples of the national and international cultural legacy that he is part of. The many experimenting activities at the Utzon Center will also contribute to its role as an exciting cultural powerhouse. http://www.visitaalborg.com/ln-int/utzon-center-gdk596163

The museum features a variety of cultural treasures of all kinds. One of the treasures is a painting depicting Adam and Eve, by the German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. When the painting came to the museum after an auction in the late 1800s had been hanging on an outhouse in Sjögestad. The museum's cultural exhibition includes skeletons of Bergsrondellen and the PC historical exhibition Digital dreams about the Internet's emergence, the gaming industry and the computer in art. Moreover, there are always different exhibitions with various themes such as contemporary art, fashion and design, photography and current social issues. https://visitlinkoping.se/en/do/attractions/museums/%C3%B6sterg%C3%B6tlands-museum

Galleri Melefors offers art from both inside and outside Sweden, in close collaboration with the art market, artists, private individuals, companies and art associations. It also, organise a number of separate exhibitions and vernissages annually. https://visitlinkoping.se/en/g%C3%B6ra/attraktioner/konsthallar-och-gallerier/galleri-melefors

The main focus is on Swedish modernism. The museum also has a graphics collection that is one of the largest in the country. Exhibitions at the museum are thematic or focus on the oeuvres of individual artists while also linking them to international contemporary art. Museum Collection is always available in 3 galleries. https://upplev.norrkoping.se/en/item/konstmuseet

Kuopio Art Museum, located in the centre of Kuopio, is housed in a former bank building converted into a museum that opened in 1980. As the regional art museum of Northern Savo Province, the museum includes exhibitions, research and documentation of visual arts. Art education plays a central role in museum activities. The collections include primarily Finnish art from the end of the Nineteenth Century to the present, with an emphasis on local painters, from the von Wright Artist Brothers and Juho Rissanen to the contemporary artists. The central theme of the museum is nature and the environment. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/kuopio-art-museum/

Located on Church Park and close to the pedestrian precinct, Jyväskylä Art Museum’s Holvi is a venue for pictorial art, a place for people to gather, and to interact. The main exhibition in summer 2010 showcases masterpieces from the Finnish National Gallery, Ateneum – Ladoga Karelia patrons Elisabeth and Herman Hallonblad assembled a collection of works by much-loved Finnish artists from the late 19th to the early 20th century. The lower gallery features two artists of the current generation, Jyväskylä-based Antti Jokinen and Duncan Butt Juvonen, who has a summer cottage in Uurainen. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/jyvaeskylae-art-museum/

Founded in 1965, the Lappeenranta Art Museum initially occupied the same premises as the South Karelia Museum of Cultural History, at the northern tip of the Lappeenranta Fortress. In the 1980s, the Art Museum moved to its present site in the neoclassic-style barracks (built in 1798), opposite the Orthodox Church. In 1986, the Art Museum became the Regional Art Museum of South-East Finland. The museum is home to a collection of Finnish art from the mid-19th century to the present day. The museum’s largest single collection of old Finnish art was accumulated by Viipurin Taiteenystävät ry (Vyborg Friends of Art); this collection includes works by many well-known artists such as Albert Edelfelt, Pekka Halonen, Tyko Sallinen, Hjalmar Munsterhjelm and Eero Järnefelt. The collection has paintings by artists who were active in Vyborg or were born there. The contemporary art collections, on the other hand, focus in particular on art from south-east Finland and include paintings by Leena Luostarinen, Unto Ahjotuli, Anne Tompuri, Irmeli Tarmo, Eeva Vesterinen, Heimo Suntio and Sinikka Kurkinen etc. etc. Every year, the Art Museum also stages between three and four temporary exhibitions which feature both the latest trends in the world of art and works representing earlier periods in the history of art. http://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/south-karelia-art-museum/

Experience art at the Eskilstuna Art Museum. Here you will find everything from modern to historical art as well as a fun museum shop - perfect for finding unique gifts. The Eskilstuna Art Museum is a meeting place for people and the arts and is located in the historic district of Munktellstaden, in Bolinder Munktell's former gear workshop. Here you will find the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions with contemporary arts and crafts, educational activities, Swedish children's picture archive, program activities and museum shop. The Eskilstuna Art Museum's collection consists of works from the 17th century to the present, mainly Nordic and Northern European art, with the emphasis on Swedish 20th century painting. In the basic exhibition with art from the collection about 200 works are shown by, among others: Vera Nilsson, Carl Larsson, Emil Österman, Hannah Ryggen, Lars Lerin, Lena Cronqvist, Sven X: et Erixson, Astrid Sylwan, Carl Johan De Geer, Frida Fjellman, Otto G Carlsund and Siri Derkert. The museum is one of Sweden's oldest art museums, which opened outside the big cities. https://eskilstuna.nu/gora/sevardheter/eskilstuna-konstmuseum

The Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art was opened to the public in February 2007. The museum is situated in a former customs warehouse in the Inner Harbour of Vaasa. The building has 2,000 m² of space, which has been planned exclusively for museum activities. Thanks to the museum, both national and international exhibitions of modern and contemporary art are now a permanent feature of Vaasa’s artistic life. The base collection in the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art is the Kuntsi Foundation’s art collection – one of the most important classic collections of contemporary art in Finland covering pop art, kinetic art as well as committed art, informalism, surrealism, new expressionism, postmodernism… The more than 900 works forming the collection are a cross-section of modern art history, from international modernists to the Finnish artists of today. But most of all, it is the classic collection of Finnish contemporary art created in the 1950s and onward. The Kuntsi Collection is constantly growing and other nationally remarkable private collections are both deposited and donated in connection with it. Donations and depositions continue the work started by Consul Simo Kuntsi, and increase the importance of Vaasa in the modern and contemporary art world. Regular cooperation with other museums, artists and collectors in Finland and abroad further expands the museum’s operation as well as the exhibition offerings of the most topical art. https://www.discoveringfinland.com/destination/kuntsi-museum-of-modern-art/

Kainuu Museum is the regional museum of Kainuu. Temporary exhibitions introduce both international and local art and culture to an audience as wide and varied as possible. The museum holds a basic exhibition on the history and culture of the Kainuu region, from prehistoric times to the mid-20th century. Temporary exhibitions can be found upstairs and in the small gallery room downstairs. https://www.visitkajaani.fi/en/products/kainuu-museum/

Rüki Gallery is an exhibition and sales gallery of contemporary art in the Old Town of Viljandi. The exhibitions organised both paintings and photography, graphics, sculpture, installations, and other alternative art. The purpose of the gallery is to introduce the works of Estonian professional artists to local residents, as well as visitors from Estonia and the rest of the world. The gallery is housed in a historic barn building where a sign saying ‘Rüki jahu’ (rye flour in the local language) was found during renovation work. The sign indicated where flour was stored at that time. Hence the name of the gallery. https://www.visitestonia.com/en/ruki-gallery

The creative work of Epp Maria Kokamägi, one of Estonia’s most famous artists, includes oil paintings, watercolours, book design and theatre and film design. The building, which was built as a café during Estonia's first period of independence, now houses a gallery over two floors, where exhibitions change according to the seasons. In addition to Epp Maria's wonderful paintings, you can also enjoy the paintings and furniture created by her husband Jaak Arro, the ceramics of Liisu Arro and the paintings of Imbi Lind. https://www.visitestonia.com/en/epp-maria-gallery