Marcel Duchamp, Air de Paris (Paris Air), 1919/1974 Donation 1965 from The Friends of Moderna Museet. Photo: Albin Dahlström © Succession Marcel Duchamp / Bildupphovsrätt 2016

Homage

50th Anniversary of the Friends of Moderna Museet

23.5 2003 – 31.8 2003

Stockholm

How did Méta-Matic by Jean Tinguely and numerous other easily recognised works of art, end up in Moderna Museet? The answer is: the Friends of Moderna Museet, who are now celebrating their 50th Anniversary with an exhibition of selected paintings, sculptures and films acquired by the museum thanks to financial contributions from the Friends. The show includes works from the early 20th century up to contemporary works in new media, and will be the final exhibition at Klarabergsviadukten 61.

A museum of modern art in Sweden was not at the top of the government’s wish-list. Instead, it was the Friends of Moderna Museet who way back in 1953 started campaigning for a modern art museum. The Friends joined forces with the then head of the National Museum, Otte Sköld, and donated works of art, so that King Gustav VI Adolf could inaugurate Moderna Museet in May 1958.

Today, there are some 3,500 Friends of Moderna Museet. At its peak – around the time when the new building was opened, in 1998 – the association had around 7,000 members. Over the years, many prominent works have been added to the museum collection. The most famous of these is perhaps Robert Rauschenberg’s Monogram – more familiarly known as The Goat. This work will not be displayed, however, until the building on Skeppsholmen is reinaugurated in early 2004.

Artists included in this summer’s exhibition:
Nils von Dardel, Otto G Carlsund, Randi Fischer, Lennart Rodhe, Einar Jolin, Ragnar Sandberg, William Nording, Roland Kempe, Ivan Aguéli, Hugo Zuhr, Vera Nilsson, Astrid Noack, Victor Axelsson, Hilding Linnqvist, Torsten Palm, Gunnar Svensson, Otte Sköld, Rosemarie Trockel, Jean Tingueley, Willem de Kooning, Walter de Maria, Eva Hesse, Brabro Bäckström, Alexander Calder, Håkan Rehnberg/Johan Scott/Gregor Wroblewski, Joel Shapiro, Marcel Duchamp, Inez van Lamsweerde