Cecil Beaton Exhibit at Sven-Harry's Art Museum

Hard-to-miss golden building...

On my way to work today, I decided to make a stop at Sven-Harry's Konstmuseum (art museum). I had actually never been inside the museum before today and was especially curious now when they unveiled their summer exhibition on the works of photographer Cecil Beaton (long one of my favorites).

Beautiful Vasa Park.

Sven-Harry Karlsson is a Swedish man who made his fortune in construction and real estate. Sven-Harry is an avid art collector (especially from Swedish artists) and in 2011 he opened this art museum. The museum is located on the southern edge of the beautiful Vasa Park and is housed (along with private apartments) in an interesting golden building designed by architect Gert Wingårdh. The exhibition space is found on the ground floor as well as the fourth floor. On the roof of the building there is both a sculpture garden with views over the Vasastaden neighbourhood as well as a replica of Sven-Harry's former country estate (Ekholmsnäs) and where his private collection is housed.

Audrey Hepburn, by Cecil Beaton.

This summer the museum, in collaboration with Sotheby's, is exhibiting the work of Cecil Beaton (until Aug 30th). Beaton was one of the best portrait photographers of the last century, working mainly in black & white. If you had any fame or notoriety between the 1930's and 1970's, chances are pretty high that you had your portrait taken by Beaton. Many of these portraits are on display at Sven-Harry's... Picasso, Noel Coward, Churchill, Marilyn, Nureyev, Cocteau, Warhol, Fonteyn, Callas, Wallis Simpson, Dietrich, Jacqueline Bouvier, Garbo and many more. This exhibit takes up the ground and fourth floors of the museum.

Portraits of Ingrid Bergman by Cecil Beaton.

On the top floor of the museum, where you exit out to the rooftop terrace, there is a smaller exhibition which features three current Swedish artists and is being displayed in cooperation with EuroGames Stockholm. EuroGames is a large LGBT sporting and cultural event which is taking place this year in Stockholm (Aug 5th to 9th). The artists, all active in LGBT issues, have created new works of art solely for this exhibition.

Part of the rooftop sculpture garden.

I did take a walk around the sculpture garden on the rooftop terrace, even though the weather wasn't the best. Besides the sculptures, the views of Vasastan and the park are magnificent. The replica of Sven-Harry's estate, housing his private art collection, can only be visited as part of a guided tour. Generally the museum offers one 40 minute tour per hour of the home/collection. Unfortunately I had to get to work and didn't have time to take the tour, but I did peek in the windows and it looked really interesting. I will have to go back for a return visit!

A peek inside the replica of Sven-Harry's home.

To get there from the Rival Hotel, it is just a short subway ride on the green line (either the stop at Odenplan or St Eriksplan). The Vasastan neighbourhood is also a very nice area to visit... with great architecture, restaurants, cafés, shops and even some other attractions like the Bonniers Konsthall and Jewish Museum in Stockholm. Click here for other summer art exhibitions.

Part of the EuroGames exhibition.

Words to live by...