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200 Picasso works at Museum of Modern Art
"Picasso and the Mediterranean" is the theme of the Museum of Modern Art's forthcoming exhibition based on the classical elements of Picasso's artistic skills. It shows how he was inspired by Mediterranean culture and the expressionism in Greek art. The exhibition of more than 200 works was previously shown at the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen, and it places particular emphasis on Picasso's fascination for mythology and classical art. Early Greek works have been loaned by the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Glyptoteket and National Museums in Copenhagen, as well as the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities (Medelhavsmuseet) in Stockholm. The aim of the exhibition is to show the cross-fertilisation between Picasso's work and ancient Mediterranean culture. Anything antique was a strong component in Picasso's art. He gave it his own distinctive expression and was constantly reaffirming it, whether in museums, in books or in everyday life at his many homes around the Mediterranean. The exhibition takes place between 15 February and 18 May.
Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museet)
tel +46-8-666 42 50

Stockholm - Olympic games finalist?
On 7 March the International Olympic Committee will select a shortlist of four or five of the 11 cities which are bidding to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2004. The final selection will be made on 5 September, and in the meantime the city is moving into top gear in its efforts to ensure that Stockholm's bid is successful. To achieve this goal, a special foundation has been set up, including representatives of Stockholm City Council, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and Sweden's Olympics Committee. Its members include well-known names in Swedish sport like the gold medallist Ulrika Knape (diving), Agneta Andersson (canoeing) and Bengt Baron (swimming). Representatives of industry and commerce include Volvo's managing director, Sören Gyll, and the managing director of STORA, Bo Berggren. The president of the foundation is Sweden's former Prime Minister, Ingvar Carlsson. According to several independent observers, including the respected international sporting journal Sporting Business, Stockholm has an excellent chance of being among the finalists.
Stockholm 2004, tel +46-8-452 20 04
Stiftelsen Stockholm 2004, +46-8-789 24 39

Michelin Guide accolades for Stockholm
For some years the red Guide Michelin has covered hotels and restaurants in the Nordic countries. Now Michelin has come up with a green-covered tourist guide in English, with the title Scandinavia Finland. The new guide is combined with Michelin's map number 985 and has 470 fact-packed pages with more than 150 pictures. There are also 40 detailed maps so that foreign visitors to the Nordic countries can plan their journeys more easily. All the most important sights in Sweden are listed in geographical order and ranked in the traditional Michelin style with one to three stars. The top three-star ranking is awarded to sights which are worth a special journey, two stars indicate those which are worth a detour, and one star those which are merely interesting or worth seeing. Among the 51 Swedish sights which have won a three-star award are the following in Stockholm: the Old Town, the Vasa Museum, Skansen, the view from the City Hall tower (365 steps from the ground), the Blue Hall and the Golden Hall inside the City Hall, Djurgården, the view from Kaknäs TV tower and, last but not least, Stockholm's archipelago.
The Tourist Guide can be ordered from Michelin Tyre plc, Tourism Department UK
tel +44-1923-415000

Stockholm - Europes gastronomic centre
Swedish gastronomic culture and cuisine, which can be enjoyed not least in Stockholm, has been recognised by the election of the Swedish chef and restaurateur Lars Pluto Johannison as chairman of Euro Toques, the European association for top chefs. "Toque" is the French word for the chef's traditional hat, and Euro Toques was founded in France in 1986 as a meeting place for elite chefs and champions of gastronomic culture. The organisation acts as an advisory expert body for the European Commission's trade department. With the election of its new Swedish chairman, the focus will be on Swedish cuisine over the next three years, particularly in 1997 when Swedish members of Euro Toques will be arranging the "Golden Fish" competition in which chefs from all over Europe will compete for the title of Europe's best fish cook.
Peter Rhedin, Euro Toques Sverige
tel +46-8-20 86 52

New premises for two museums
Building of the new Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museet), designed by the Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, is going ahead on schedule for its planned opening on Skeppsholmen in February 1998. The exhibition rooms have started to take shape, some internal fittings are being installed, and the lantern roof is in place. The more spacious design of the museum will make it possible to show 60% of the collection at any one time compared with 20% previously. The collection covers Swedish and international art with more than 4,000 paintings, sculptures and installations, 25,000 drawings and graphic illustrations, as well as 200,000 photographs, video tapes and films. The exhibitions from the permanent collection will be supplemented in the new building by selected long-term loans from private collections. There will also be a varied programme of temporary exhibitions, films and video performances, symposiums, and workshops for guest artists. The new director of the museum is David Elliot. The museum's temporary location at the old tram-car depot will be closed to the public from May 1997. At the start of 1998 the new and enlarged premises for the Swedish Museum of Architecture (Arkitekturmuseet) on Skeppsholmen will also be inaugurated. Its area will be significantly enlarged and its activities will be changed radically.
Gunilla Keller Sandring, Project 2 Museums (Projektet 2 museer)
tel +46-8-463 05 81

Stockholm gets ready for its year of culture
The preliminary programme for Stockholm's year as Cultural Capital of Europe in 1998 has now been finalised. Throughout the year the city will be Europe's main centre for cultural events of all kinds and a hotbed of renewal within art, culture, nature and society. Among the many events scheduled are the following:

Archipelago — new space:
About 70 exhibitions of differing character housed in new and previously unexpected surroundings at well-known institutions around the city. The accent will be on the many facets of contemporary art, and artists from all over the world will be invited to take part. The Time Machine: An illustrated back in time to the Stockholm of the last turn of the century. A special room in the city centre will show visitors the city, its people, and special events in an enlarged format.

Stockholm Arts and IT Lab:
An international and digital meeting place based in an IT laboratory at Skeppsholmen where art and technology will get together in a joint approach to the future. Union des Théâtres de l'Europe: Europe's leading theatres will be invited to visit Stockholm, including the Piccolo Teatro from Milan, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Berliner Ensemble etc. Mahler at the Concert Hall: The Concert Hall (Konserthuset) presents works by Gustav Mahler, along with Nordic composers like Stenhammar and Sibelius. International dance and ballet series: Each month one of the world's leading dance ensembles will perform.

Swedish choreography:
Six freelance Swedish choreographers will stage new productions during 1998 at unusual venues which they have chosen themselves.

Information on the preliminary programme for Stockholm - Cultural Capital of Europe 1998 can be obtained from Marina Marklund
tel +46-8-698 19 98

Cullenberg ballet - A third decade in the front line of dance
In 1967 Birgit Cullberg founded the present-day Cullberg Ballet under the auspices of the State Theatre. In the 1970s Mats Ek came on to the dance scene and created powerful and socially-committed work for the company. Right from the start the dancers' technique and strong stage personality have been the hallmark of the Cullberg Ballet. Over the past decade the company has appeared just as much abroad as in Sweden and has put on much-acclaimed performances in some 30 countries in Europe, Asia, North and South America. During 1997 the Cullberg Ballet is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a leader in Swedish dance. It will continue to guard its reputation as a creative innovator and to tread unexplored territory, putting on performances which reflect our own times. The anniversary will be celebrated on 21 February with a Swedish première at the House of Dance (Dansens Hus) in Stockholm of Mats Ek's new version of the ballet Sleeping Beauty to the music of Tchaikowsky. Mats Ek created a "poetic, thoughtful and playful" Sleeping Beauty for the Hamburg Ballet in June 1996. He opens up its deep and dark secrets and blends in fresh insights into present-day society.
House of Dance (Dansens Hus), Bitte Wallin
tel +46-8-676 96 27

Cosmonova - More popular than ever
Cosmonova, located in the Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet), is Sweden's only Omnimax cinema and the most modern planetarium. Omnimax is the world's largest film format, with a screen covering 760 square metres and built like a cupola, making it 24 times larger than the screen in a traditional cinema. The audience sits in the centre of the cupola, surrounded by sounds and images which give the feeling of being out in space, at the bottom of the sea or in the fantastic landscape of the Grand Canyon. The unique thing about Cosmonova performances is that they provide both knowledge and an exciting experience. The large screen format give audiences a strong sensation of involvement.
Along with its parent museum, Cosmonova was the third most popular sight in Stockholm in 1996, and since it was opened in 1992 it has had 2.6 million visitors. The latest film to be shown at Cosmonova, Cosmic Voyage, lets the audience discover the universe in a wholly new dimension. It takes viewers on a journey through the mysteries of the universe - from quarks (the smallest building blocks found in atoms) to gigantic collections of galaxies at the edge of the known universe. Maria Skoog, Cosmonova, Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet)
tel +46-8-666 51 03

News in brief

Stockholm Marathon on TV
The ever-popular Stockholm Marathon, run for the first time in 1979, will be seen on TV this year. Under an agreement between the marathon organisers and Sweden's TV4, there will be a four-hour live transmission of the event, which takes place on Saturday 7 June, starting at 14.00. The marathon can also be followed by 150 million viewers all over Europe through NBC Supersport. In 1996 10,596 runners from 34 countries took part in the 42 km race. The number of spectators last year was estimated at 200,000.
Staffan Skog, Stockholm Marathon
tel +46-667 19 30

Success for Stockholm's seventh international Film Festival
Over recent years Stockholm's Film Festival has developed into one of northern Europe's foremost cinematic events. Last year's festival was the biggest yet, with 126 films from 30 countries. The event attracted 42,000 cinema-goers, and media interest was intense, with about 500 journalists and photographers from all over the world in attendance. Stockholm's eighth international film festival takes place from 7-16 November 1997.
Camilla Janzon, head of press relations, Stockholm Film Festival
tel +46-8-677 50 00

Beauty, excitement and strength in this year's Princess Circus
The Princess Circus (Cirkus Prinsessan) brings together the world's foremost female circus artists to take part in the championship for the world's Circus Princess. For the third year running, a new ensemble will perform during the festival in Stockholm between 17 and 30 April. The Bronett Brothers' production tells the story of female involvement in the circus world, providing a spectrum of female colours and forms, different female roles, as well as various forms of expression and feelings. The circus tent will be erected at Galärvarvet on Djurgården in Stockholm. Festival participants from all over the world will be judged by a jury chaired by Princess Christina.
Bröderna Bronett AB
tel +46-8-660 02 00

Back to the Middle Ages: a historical festival at Riddarholmen
Stockholm's medieval quarter, taking in Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen and the Old Town, will be the starting point for a historical festival over the weekend of 30 May-1 June. A highspot will be an 18th century masked ball with festivities and music, with guests clad in appropriate costumes. The festival will be a major cultural and historical event in which museums, cultural institutions and restaurateurs will be co-operating. The festival will also include history walks through the city, a medieval market and theatrical performances.
Anna Gustin, Stiftelsen Stolta Stad
tel +46-8-644 61 01

Sweden's best breakfast buffet at Hotel Reisen
"Many of our guests, particularly business travellers, often base their choice of hotel on the quality of its breakfast," says Marie Louise Palmstierna, manager of First Hotel Reisen, which has been awarded the prestigious 1996 "Breakfast Cockerel" award for providing Sweden's best breakfast buffet. The hotel's buffet offers freshly-baked bread, a wide selection of meats and cheeses etc, and waffles with jams and fresh fruit. A breakfast chef is also on hand to prepare bacon and eggs, omelettes, or scrambled eggs to order. First Hotel Reisen is a classic Stockholm hotel with 114 rooms and three suites. The hotel is located at Skeppsbron in Stockholm and has a fine view of the harbour. Other hotels in the First Hotels chain around Sweden also serve breakfasts based on the First Hotel Reisen model.
First Hotel Reisen
tel +46-8-22 32 60

Major coming events in Stockholm
Information subject to change. For further information about events and tickets, please contact Tourist Centre in SwedenHouse (+ 46-8-789 24 95, fax +46-8-789 24 91
* Annual events

Spring Salon - jury judged works of art by famous and not-so-famous Swedish artists. 31 Jan-9- Mar
Liljevalchs Konsthall tel +46 8 14 46 35

*Sweden Hockey Games - international ice hockey tournament at the Stockholm Globe Arena 4-9 Feb
Swedish Ice Hockey Association
tel +46 8 39 85 80, fax +46 8 659 07 14
Stockholm Globe Arena
tel +46 8 725 10 00, tickets +46 8 600 34 00
fax-back +46 8 97 93 10

Backstreet Boys in concert at the Stockholm GlobeArena 15 Feb
Stockholm Globe Arena
tel +46 8 725 10 00
tickets +46 8 600 34 00
fax-back +46 8 97 93 10

"Picasso and the Mediterranean" - new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. 15 Feb-18 May
Museum of Modern Art tel +46 8 666 42 50

DN Games - international athletics competition in the Stockholm Globe Arena. 20 Feb
Stockholm Globe Arena
tel +46 8 725 10 00
tickets +46 8 600 34 00
fax-back +46 8 97 93 10

Hair & Beauty 97 - products fair, seminars, shows, competitions, demonstrations. 21-23 Feb
Stockholm International Fairs
tel +46 8 749 41 00

*Curiosity Exhibition - stamps, coins,weapons, art, antiquities, books, toys etc. 21-23 Feb
Sollentuna Exhibition Centre
tel +46 8 92 59 00

The Chippendales at Cirkus. 25 Feb
tel +46 8 660 22 65
tickets +46 8 660 10 20
fax +46 8 660 69 65

Skunk Anansie at Cirkus. 26 Feb
tel +46 8 660 22 65
tickets +46 8 660 10 20

*Sewing Festival -sewing,knitting,weaving and more. 28 feb-2 mar
Sollentuna Exhibition Centre
tel +46 8 92 59 00

*Stockholm International Boat Show "Allt för sjön" - the largest boat exhibition in the Nordic countries. 1-9 mar
Stockholm International Fairs
tel +46 8 749 41 00

*Stockholm Art Fair - international art fair. 5-9 Mar
Sollentuna Exhibition Centre
tel +46 8 92 59 00.

Broadway - show at the Stockholm Globe Arena. 8 Mar
Stockholm Globe Arena
tel +46 8 725 10 00
tickets +46 8 600 34 00
fax-back +46 8 97 93 10

*Caravan '97 - caravans, accessories, camping and more. 13-16 mar
Sollentuna Exhibition Centre
tel +46 8 92 59 00

Tom Jones in concert at the Stockholm Globe Arena. 14 mar
Org. EMA Telstar
tel +46 8 767 01 10
tickets +46 8 600 34 00
fax-back +46 8 97 93 10

"The Car" - new exhibition about the human being and the car at the Nordic Museum. 16 Mar-1998
Nordic Museum
tel +46 8 666 46 00
fax +46 8 665 38 53

"Gastro Nord" - trade fair for the Hotel-, Restaurant-andCateringbusiness. 18-21 Mar
Stockholm International Fairs
tel +46 8 749 41 00

*Stockholm International Motor Show - cars and accessories. 5-13 Apr
Stockholm International Fairs
tel +46 8 749 41 00

*Wilderness Exhibition - angling, hunting, open-air life, adventure, travel and nature conservation. 10-13 apr
Sollentuna Exhibition Centre
tel +46 8 92 59 00,

*The Circus Princess - the Bronett Brothers presents a cirkus festival with female performers at the Galärvarvet. 17-30 apr
The Bronett Brothers
tel +46 8 660 02 00

*Gröna Lund amusement park, season première 26 apr
Gröna Lund
tel +46 8670 76 00

*Walpurgis Night Celebrations including May Fires, fireworks and traditional songs at various venues including Skansen. 30 apr
Skansen
tel +46 8 442 80 00

Editor: Charlotta Lorentz