Artipelag

Bjorn Jakobson, who built the Baby Bjorn business, put up Artipelag on family land at Halludden and opened it in 2012. Johan Nyren designed it to sit into the site rather than on it: black timber, low profile, the granite left uncut where it comes through the floor, and the pines kept right up against the glass. There is no permanent collection - it runs large temporary exhibitions, three or four a year, across art, design and photography. The grounds are the other half of the visit, with a sculpture trail through the woods to the water and a boardwalk along the shore. A restaurant and a shop are part of the building.

Background

The name plays on "arkipelag", the Swedish word for archipelago. Björn Jakobson, who founded Babybjörn in 1961, conceived the museum together with his wife Lillemor, and their company Lillemor Design paid for it, at a cost Swedish media estimated at approximately $69 million. The building covers approximately 10,000 square meters, with 3,000 square meters of galleries, and sits in 22 acres of natural surroundings; its outer walls are tarred and a sedum roof covers the gallery. The first exhibition, Genius Loci, opened on June 3, 2012, and later shows have featured Candida Höfer and William Wegman, as well as the legacy of Andy Warhol in 2016. Bo Nilsson is the artistic director.

Source: Wikipedia, "Artipelag"

Highlights

• A hall built into rock and pine - black timber, granite through the floor.
• Large temporary exhibitions - no permanent collection.
• A sculpture trail to the water - through the woods.
• A shore boardwalk - round the headland.

When to go

Year round, but check what is showing. Two to three hours.

What to expect

Between exhibitions the halls can be closed. Tickets are expensive. It is out of town and the bus takes a while. The restaurant is costly for what it is.

Nearby

Gustavsberg porcelain works is close; Stockholm is west.

Key facts