This year’s summer exhibition at Läckö Castle is about different ways of having fun and creating a party atmosphere, at big parties or small ones and for all sorts of reasons. So put on your best finery and come along for cocktails or coffee, a masquerade ball or Nobel banquet. The exhibition is based on works from the Nationalmuseum collection.
People have always been attracted to amusement and parties. We want to meet and have fun, whether it’s a couple of people or a big gathering. Parties are very much about social gatherings, to celebrate an event or to get back together again. But parties are also about satisfying our need to challenge and be at the centre of things. We want to be bold, experiment and surprise.
Sten Didrik Bellander, Tore Johnson (1928-1980), photographer, 1957. Gelatin silver photograph, baryte paper.
Louis Jean Desprez, Francesco Piranesi, Fireworks from Castel S. Angelo in Rome.
Anna Örnberg for Strömbergshyttan, Pastry with plate and spoon, 2000. Glass, threads, gilt.
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Joseph Nees for Porzellan-Manufaktur Ludwigsburg, Group of ballet dancers, 1760 - 1762. Porcelain, painted.
The Silfverhielm Service, Porcelain, England, 1790s.
Hans Gedda, Niklas Ek (b. 1943), principal dancer, actor, 2012. Gelatin silver photograph
Ivan Jelinek, Teapot and lid, in rounded shapes, 2011–2012. Porcelain, silver glaze, brass.
Kerstin Öhlin Lejonklou, Brooch “Pegasus II”, 2000. Gold, white brilliants, topaz, amethysts.
Carl Bengtsson, Sara Danius (1962-2019). Gown and cape by Per Engsheden.
This year’s summer exhibition at Läckö Castle is about different ways of having fun and creating a party atmosphere. Here are examples of life’s celebrations and holidays, as well Tea- or coffee parties. You shouldn’t miss the beautiful and imaginative festive table settings of Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie, master of Läckö in the 17th century. Nor examples of how desert was served in social circles of the highest status in the 18th century. Extravagance is the only word to describe it. The exhibition also has glimpses of present-day Nobel banquets, attended by 1,250 guests and countless TV viewers.
For those planning their own cocktail party, there are tips on everything from suitable glassware to the right dress code and jewellery.
A masquerade gives free reign to the need to challenge and express yourself. We take on another role, perhaps without even being recognised. Dance, so often associated with parties, may have a private function inspired by a desire to express oneself. But it can also be public, something on a stage to be watched.
Using constructed sets and a large number of design and applied art pieces from the National Museum collection, the exhibition conveys a picture of parties and festivities through the last 500 years. There are ice cream chillers and fragile coffee cups, cocktail shakers and dancing porcelain figures, irresistible patisserie in glasses and exclusive jewellery, photography and painting. And last, but not least: Sara Danius’ orange and pink Nobel gown of 2018. Welcome - have fun for a while!
Background to this year’s theme
Taking parties as the theme of this year’s summer exhibition, we commemorate the National Museum’s 25 years of exhibition production at Läckö Castle, which have made a continuous contribution to increasing the castle’s value as a disseminator of experiences and knowledge, together with the Läckö Castle Foundation.
Visitors information
For opening hours, tickets etcetera, please visit the Läckö Castle website.