The Second Museum of Our Wishes
On 18 April, 2006, Moderna Museet launched its vision of The Second Museum of our Wishes, initially with a debate article by director of Moderna Museet Lars Nittve, under the heading “Routine preference given to male artists”. The article was an appeal to the government for a one-off allocation of SEK 50 million to adjust the gender balance in the Moderna Museet collection. The entire sum would be used to purchase works by women artists from the first half of the 20th century. This would entail a genuine opportunity to give women artists a more fair place in history.
The first results of the appeal were private donations of art, among them several important artworks by Hilma af Klint. These were soon followed by generous private monetary donations. In November 2007, private donations to The Second Museum of our Wishes from Barbro and Bernhard Osher, Pontus, Eva and Åke Bonnier, Per and Lena Josefsson, Anna-Stina Malmborg and Caisa and Åke Skeppner added up to nearly SEK 25 million.
The idea has been acknowledged all over the world. The Guardian in London wrote that "One of the world´s most prestigious museums for 20th century art takes up the fight for equality between the sexes." The world-leading feminist art theorist Griselda Pollock also expressed her enthusiasm for the proposal during a visit to Stockholm. In autumn 2007, the Swedish government announced its support for the project. Minister of Culture Lena Adelsohn-Liljeroth and the Ministry of Culture allocated SEK 5 million to Moderna Museet for acquisitions of works by women artists, to help the museum in its striving for equal gender representation in the collection. Lars Nittve commented the allocation as follows:
"The fact that the public sector now joins up with private initiatives entails a general support on the issue. The international reaction to our appeal was "Typically Swedish!" But recently, Tate Modern initiated a similar project, which proves that our initiative has spread. With the acquisition of Tanning´s Insomnias the canon began to shift in practice in the way we intended. Our recent purchase of a key work by Louise Bourgeois with iconic status is an extremely significant addition."
Out of the original "wish list", Moderna Museet has now purchased or been given works by Hilma af Klint, Dorothea Tanning, Siri Derkert, Anna Kagan, Tora Vega Holmström, Monica Sjöö and Carolee Schnemann. The most recent acquisition is an early wood sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, Pillar from 1949 purchased directly from the 98-year-old artist in her New York studio.
We will continue to look for key works that will enrich the collection significantly and redress the gender balance. Our agenda includes works by Paula Modersohn-Becker, Agnes Martin, Katarzyna Kobro, Lubov Popova and photographs by Dora Maar and Claude Cahun.
In view of the astonishing response so far, Moderna Museet is optimistic about being able to achieve its aim to accrue SEK 50 million for The Second Museum of our Wishes during the Anniversary Year.