Join us on a journey through the history of European art and experience famous highlights and other gems in the collections, from the 16th century up until today. More than 5 000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, applied arts and design objects are waiting to be discovered.
The collections are presented chronologically, and follow an imaginary timeline through the building. This allows you to easily navigate your way through the centuries. Arts, applied arts, and design are displayed side by side, providing a deeper understanding and greater perspective on the different eras.
Each era has its own exhibition hall. Here the main features of the art and the relevant cultural and social influences are presented. The smaller, adjacent rooms provide space for expanding horizons or “deep dives” into the various issues that relate to the time period in question.
Meet international and Swedish masters such as Rembrandt, Leyster, Gentilieschi, Roslin, Goya, Renoir, Claudel, Gauguin, Zorn, Larsson, Pauli and many, many more.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, The Kitchen Maid, 1651, oil on canvas.
A gallery presenting the period 1965 until the present day. Photo: Anna Danilesson/Nationalmuseum.
17th Century. Photo: Nationalmuseum/Bruno Ehrs
Judith Leyster, Boy playing the flute, oil on cnavas.
18th Century. Photo: Anna Danielsson/Nationalmuseum
Alexander Roslin, The Lady with the Veil. The Artist's Wife Marie Suzanne Giroust Roslin.
Artemisia Gentileschi, A Female Saint and Martyr, possibly St. Catherine of Alexandria, early 1600s, oil on canvas.
19th Century. Photo: Anna Danielsson/Nationalmuseum
20 th Century. Photo: Bruno Ehrs
Carl Larsson, Pontus, 1890, oil on canvas.
Anders Zorn, Castles in the Air, 1885, water colour.
Paul Gauguin, Landscape from Brittany, 1889,oil on canvas.
Orrefors, Edward Hald, "Celestial Globe". Manufactured 1929 - 1930 Engraved glass, mounted in pewter.
Objects in glass, first part of the 1900s. Photo: Nationalmuseum/Bruno Ehrs
1920s-mid 1960s. Photo: Anna Danielsson/Nationalmuseum
We want you to experience as much of our collections as possible, and therefore we will sometimes change which objects are on display. There should almost always be something new to discover!
The Nationalmuseum App
Nationalmuseum Visitor Guide App contains audio guides, facts and inspiration. The best companion during your visit to the museum and a real gold mine for anyone eager to learn more about art and design.
Explore some of the highlights in the exhibition "The Timeline"
The 16th Century
In the 1500s, Europe saw a rise of central states with a strong royal power. Gustav Vasa was elected king of Sweden in 1523. He strengthened his power further by joining Sweden to the Protestant faith, and introducing a hereditary monarchy.
The 17th Century
The Baroque, an artistic style, with dynamic compositions, strong emotions and a direct appeal to the senses. The style originated in Catholic Europe but spread to Protestant areas and throughout the world.
1720–1770
Interior decoration of a new royal palace in Stockholm became a bravado display of French Rococo, but also a hothouse for local artists and craftsmen. The result was a flowering of porcelain manufacturing and silversmithing.
1770–1800
Johan Tobias Sergel’s stay in Rome marks a shift in Swedish art from Rococo to Neoclassicism. Other Swedes followed his lead, but it was not until Gustav III’s 1783-1784 Italian tour that Neoclassicism became established here.
1800–1870
The French revolution changed European art after 1800. Both crafts and visual arts were politicized, while classicism continued to dominate.
1897
Imagine you are a visitor at one of the 19th century’s great art and industry exhibitions. In a spectacular hall of glass and iron you wander around among awe-inspiring artistic and technological innovations.
1870–1910
The way we today experience consumer society and spectacle has its roots in the cosmopolitan culture of the late 19th century. Parallel currents existed side by side, there was not just one single art style or direction.
The Turn of the 20th Century
When the concept of the national state was established in the mid19th century it became important to establish a national culture and history. In the 1890s the National Romantic artists were able to record the works we currently see as typically Swedish.
1920–1965
A periode before the Second World War, when art and design is mainly for people of substantial means but a vision of a more equal society was forming. And after, when art and design, along with society as a whole became democratised.
1965–
The economic boom years of the 1960s in Sweden were followed by the recession in the 1970s, and the working conditions for the designers changed. Today, design has become a strategic tool and designers often reach status as international stars.