Art Museum
Gothenburg Museum of Art

Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Gothenburg Museum of Art is an art museum in Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden.
About Gothenburg Museum of Art
The Gothenburg Museum of Art (Göteborgs konstmuseum) is an art museum located in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. The collection consists of more than 70,000 works in total, most of which are Nordic art from the 15th century until today. It is the third largest museum in Sweden by number of art works, succeeded only by the Swedish National Museum (Nationalmuseum) and the Modern Museum (Moderna museet) in Stockholm. The museum is part of the Gothenburg Cultural Administration (Göteborgs stads kulturförvaltning),
In 2018, the museum was awarded the Swedish Museum of the Year Award (Årets museum). Approximately 250,000 people visit annually. The building is located at the Götaplatsen, in the southern end of The Avenue (Kungsportsavenyen), and is an individual-listed building since April 2017.
Gothenburg Museum of Art by the numbers
- Founded
- 1923
Plan your visit
Gothenburg Museum of Art
- Website
- goteborgskonstmuseum.se
Overview
The Gothenburg Museum of Art (Göteborgs konstm) is an art museum in Gothenburg, Sweden, that ranks as the third largest museum in the country by number of artworks. Its holdings exceed 70,000 works, with particular strength in Nordic art from the 15th century to the present. The museum sits at Götaplatsen, the southern terminus of Kungsportsavenyn (The Avenue), and forms a monumental presence in the city's cultural landscape. Part of the Gothenburg Cultural Administration (Göteborgs stads kulturförvaltning), it attracts approximately 250,000 visitors annually and received the Swedish Museum of the Year Award (Årets museum) in 2018.
Founding & history
The institution traces its origins to the Museum of Gothenburg, established in 1861. The present museum building was constructed between 1921 and 1923 as part of the Gothenburg Tercentennial Jubilee Exposition (Jubileumsutställningen i Göteborg), celebrating the city's 300th anniversary. The museum was inaugurated in 1925. Two major expansions followed: an eastern extension built in 1966-1968, and a more substantial renovation during the 1990s. The building received individual listed status (Byggnadsminne) in April 2017, recognizing its architectural and historical significance.
Collection scope
The collection spans Nordic and international art from the 15th century to contemporary practice, though its international reputation rests primarily on its holdings of late 19th-century Nordic art, regarded as the finest of its kind worldwide. The French section includes Impressionists Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley; Post-Impressionists Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh; and Modernists including Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, Fernand Léger, and Henri Rousseau. Older European masters are represented by works attributed to Cranach the Younger, Rubens, and Rembrandt. The museum has earned three stars in the Michelin Green Guide (Green Guide Scandinavia).
Notable holdings
The Fürstenberg Gallery (Fürstenbergska galleriet) constitutes a centerpiece of the museum, named after Pontus Fürstenberg (1827-1902) and his wife Göthilda (1837-1901), leading Gothenburg art patrons who bequeathed their collection to the city museum. This gallery displays works by P.S. Krøyer, Carl Larsson, Bruno Liljefors, Edvard Munch, and Anders Zorn. The sculpture collection includes pieces by Per Hasselberg, Carl Milles, Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, and Johan Tobias Sergel. Other notable Nordic painters in the collection include Ivar Arosenius, Albert Edelfelt, Karl Isakson, Ernst Josephson, Leif Knudsen, Erik Werenskiold, and Sofie Ribbing. Photography exhibitions are presented in the Hasselblad Centre, located within the museum.
Building & site
The museum building was designed by architects Arvid Bjerke (1880-1952) and Sigfrid Ericson (1879-1958) in the monumental Neo-Classical style characteristic of Nordic architecture of the period. It is constructed of yellow brick known as "Gothenburg brick" (Göteborgsteen), a material frequently employed in the city. The structure commands a prominent elevated position at Götaplatsen, dominating the vista at the end of Kungsportsavenyn. The original 1923 building was augmented by the eastern extension designed by Rune Falk (1926-2007), built in 1966-1968.
Visiting
The Gothenburg Museum of Art is located at Götaplatsen in central Gothenburg, at the southern end of Kungsportsavenyn, the city's main boulevard. The museum operates under the Gothenburg Cultural Administration and maintains an official website at goteborgskonstmuseum.se. Its digital catalog is accessible online. The museum's individual-listed building status, granted in 2017, ensures the preservation of its architectural integrity for future visitors.
Museums near Gothenburg Museum of Art
- Museum of World Culture Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden
- Bohuslän Museum Uddevalla Municipality, Sweden
- Art Museum Hirschsprung Collection Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark
- Art Museum Statens Museum for Kunst Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark
- Rosenborg Castle Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark
- Art Museum Munch Museum Oslo Municipality, Norway