Nationalmuseum

The museum's early history , commissioned by Carl Gustaf Tessin for Louisa Ulrika As with several other European national galleries, the history of the Nationalmuseum involves a transition in ownership from royalty to the state, and by extension publicly available collections. In Sweden, the foundation was laid for today's state art collections in the 18th century. Several of the works included in the Nationalmuseum collection, such as its 18th-century French paintings, were once owned by Queen Lovisa Ulrika. In 1777, the queen's financial situation became unsustainable, partly the result of her ambitious and expensive pursuit of art. The debts were settled by her son King Gustav III when she agreed to surrender her collections and Drottningholm Palace. For some time, King Gustav III stored the art collections in one of the wings at the Royal Palace, which later resulted in a need for a building dedicated to the collection. Construction of a museum building The project to construct a royal museum in Stockholm was one of the largest and most lavish construction works of all time, taking 12 years to complete with another three years for the interior work. The German architect Friedrich August Stüler was responsible for the design of the building and the Swedish architect Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander was responsible for the interior design. Originally, the building was intended to function as a cultural center, housing a library, auditorium, the Royal Armoury, and wardrobe collections, while only the top floor would display sculptures and paintings. In the end, however, the building primarily became a venue for the exhibition of visual art. Nationalmuseum was inaugurated in 1866 in conjunction with the General Industrial Exposition of Stockholm. The building consisted of three floors with a façade cladding in Swedish limestone. Perhaps the most impressive feature at the time was the large glass sections, which had been manufactured in a German factory. In the early years, the exhibition halls of Nationalmuseum were not heated; visitors simply had to keep their outerwear on. Until 1915, the museum lacked toilets, and electricity was not installed until 1931. The only architectural addition made was two objects: an elevator tower placed in the southern atrium, which was considered the most appropriate location as it had the least impact on the building, along with a service building designed in the same architectural style, located behind the museum. One of the architects involved in the project, from Tengbom architects, notes that the woven metal cladding used is an old traditional technique in Swedish craftsmanship. The museum was reinaugurated on 13 October 2018 by King Carl XVI Gustaf in the presence of other members of the royal family, minister of culture Alice Bah Kuhnke and over thousand visitors. The museum's exhibition space has been expanded and can now receive twice as many visitors and display almost three times as many works than had been possible before the renovation. Previously clogged windows and ceiling lanterns have been modified to create more daylight and views of the city. The noisy restaurant has been moved to a quieter location, with an airy and quiet sculpture courtyard in its former place. The museum has regained a rich color scheme inspired by the original colour palette. == Legal framework ==

Nationalmuseum is located in central Stockholm, which is classified as a national interest for cultural heritage conservation (swe. riksintresse för kulturmiljövården) under Ordinance (1998:808). The justification for including central Stockholm in this law is about the city's function as an administrative and political center since the Middle Ages, with all eras since then up until today represented in the architecture, as well as the strategic geographical location for trade, communication and defense. Since 1935, Nationalmuseum has been a State-Owned Listed Building of National Heritage Significance (swe. statligt byggnadsminne) under Ordinance (2013:558). This means that the Swedish National Heritage Board (swe. Riksantikvarieämbetet) determines specific protective regulations for buildings, with the aim of preserving its character and cultural-historical value without distortion. The authority managing the property, in this case the National Property Board of Sweden (swe. Statens Fastighetsverk), is then responsible for adhering to these guidelines. In parallel, the operations of Nationalmuseum are governed by Ordinance (2007:1175) containing Instructions for Nationalmuseum, which means that the building must accommodate functions such as exhibitions, conservation, and research. == Collection ==

The museum collection consists of approximately 500,000 drawings from the Middle Ages to 1900, a prominent 17th-century collection of Rembrandt and other Dutch painters and collections of porcelain items, paintings, sculptures and modern art. In total, the collection consists of approximately 700,000 objects. The museum also has an art library that is open to the public and academics. Nationalmuseum holds the largest collection of portrait miniatures in the world, with more than 5,200 works. The collection features miniatures from many European schools, including works by Nicholas Hilliard, Isaac Oliver and Louis-Marie Autissier. A significant portion of the collection derives from the master collector , while the more exclusive works were donated by Hjalmar Wicander, a cork-factory owner. Wicander also donated funds for additional purchases of miniatures. == Notable works ==

File:Pietro Perugino - St Sebastian - WGA17313.jpg|Perugino, St. Sebastian File:The Lawyer, possibly Ulrich Zasius, 1461-1536, humanist, jurist (Giuseppe Arcimboldo) - Nationalmuseum - 15897.tif|Giuseppe Arcimboldo, The Lawyer, possibly Ulrich Zasius (1461-1536) File:Manlius Torquatus Fighting a Gaul.jpg|Ludwig Refinger, Manlius Torquatus Fighting a Gaul File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn - "The Kitchen Maid" - Google Art Project.jpg|Rembrandt, The Kitchen Maid File:Rembrandt Simeon’s Song of Praise.jpg|Rembrandt, ''Simeon's Song of Praise'' File:Joos de Momper IcarusFXD.jpg|Joos de Momper, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus File:The Holy Family by Candlelight (Jacob Jordaens) - Nationalmuseum - 18772.tif|Jacob Jordaens, The Holy Family by Candlelight File:Boy playing the Flute (Judith Leyster) - Nationalmuseum - 18123.tif|Judith Leyster, Boy Playing the Flute File:Marble busts in Room 1280, the Sculpture Courtyard. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden.jpg|Marble busts in the sculpture courtyard File:Antoine Watteau - The Love Lesson - Google Art Project.jpg|Antoine Watteau, The Love Lesson, -1717 File:Rabbit and Copper Pot (Jean Siméon Chardin) - Nationalmuseum - 17788.tif|Jean Siméon Chardin, Rabbit and Copper Pot File:François Boucher - The Triumph of Venus - Google Art Project.jpg|François Boucher, The Triumph of Venus File:The Lady with the Veil (the Artist's Wife) (Alexander Roslin) - Nationalmuseum - 21152FXD.jpg|Alexander Roslin, The Lady with the Veil File:Marie Antoinette-children-1785-6-Wertmuller.jpg|Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller, Queen Marie Antoinette of France and two of her Children Walking in The Park of Trianon, 1785 File:The Cellist (Self-portrait) (Gustave Courbet) - Nationalmuseum - 20159.tif|Gustave Courbet,The Cellist (Self-portrait), 1847 File:Auguste Renoir - La Grenouillère - Google Art Project.jpg|Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La grenouillère File:Castles in the Air (Anders Zorn) - Nationalmuseum - 24345.tif|Anders Zorn, Castles in the Air, 1885 File:Paul Gauguin Bretagne 1889.JPG|Paul Gauguin, Fields by the Sea, 1889 File:Hanna Pauli - Frukostdags.JPG|Hanna Pauli, Frukostdags File:Still Life with Plaster Cupid (Paul Cézanne) - Nationalmuseum - 19606.tif|Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Plaster Cupid File:Interior with a Reading Lady (Vilhelm Hammershøi) - Nationalmuseum - 18752.tif|Vilhelm Hammershøi, Interior with a Reading Lady, File:Alexander Roslin - King Gustav III of Sweden and his Brothers - Google Art Project.jpg|Alexander Roslin, King Gustav III of Sweden and His Brothers File:Gustaf Cederström - Bringing Home the Body of King Karl XII of Sweden - Google Art Project.jpg|Gustaf Cederström, Bringing Home the Body of King Charles XII Drawings The collection of drawings contains approximately 500,000 sheets spanning the late medieval period to about 1900. The collection includes more than 2,000 Old Master drawings collected by Carl Gustaf Tessin. The sheets were acquired at the sale of the court banker Pierre Crozat in the summer of 1741. Tessin was one of 14 collectors who bought at bargain prices. Because of financial reasons, the collection was sold to King Adolf Fredrik. File:Dürer - Bildnis eines jungen Mädchen.jpg|Albrecht Dürer, Portrait of a Young Woman with Braided Hair, 1515 File:Ghirlandaio.jpg|Domenico Ghirlandaio, Head of an Old Man, File:Hendrik Goltzius - Self-portrait.jpg|Hendrick Goltzius, Self-Portrait, –91 == See also ==