4/15/2001

Vikings, princesses and modern art all meet in Stockholm

Spring arrives in Stockholm with a new sculpture museum, Vikings, circus princesses and an tribute to Swedish art and design

Museum de Vries � a new sculpture museum on Drottningholm
On 15 May, the Museum de Vries will open next to the royal palace on Drottningholm, just west of Stockholm. The museum is named after the Dutch sculptor Adriaen de Vries. Fourteen of de Vries� sculptures have been moved indoors from their previous location in the Drottningholm Palace Park. Many years of standing outside have left their marks on these works, and they will undergo restoration while on display to the public. Some twenty-five sculptures have stood in the Palace Park since the 1680s, when they were brought home to Sweden as war trophies during the Thirty Years War. �Horse Rearing with Serpent� and �Big and Little Neptune� are among the works that can be seen in the new museum, which will be open daily 13.00�15.00 from 15 May to 31 August. The museum plans to display a number of different sculptures each season.

Sensuous and powerful women in Cirkus Prinsessan
Cirkus Prinsessan (the Princess Circus) is the world�s only all female circus gala � only women are allowed to perform. This year�s event will take place from 26 April to 20 May in Stockholm. A completely new show featuring new performers has been presented each year since 1995, when the event was started. The gala�s protector is Princess Christine Lady Magnuson, who will also head the international jury charged with selecting the winner: the �Circus Princess of the World�. Audiences will be treated to beauty, strength and excitement, along with cool leather, sheer tulle and Eastern magic. The lights, sounds and stages of Cirkus Prinsessan are created by a team of international artists, musicians, designers and technicians under the direction of Bronett Brothers.

Celebrating the table
In the Millesg�rden exhibition hall � chosen as the most beautiful room in Stockholm, 2000 � ten tableaux will present the very best that Swedish designers and manufactures, decorative artists and fine artists are currently producing in connection with food and mealtimes, from the hermit�s solitary meal to the abundance of the grand feast. Fittings and appointments for the kitchen, porcelain, crystal and cutlery for the table, lighting and accents for atmosphere are all on display. This �tribute to the table� is one of the biggest exhibitions of its kind to be held in Sweden during the past decade � a feast for design enthusiasts. This exhibition of contemporary Swedish and Scandinavian design for the kitchen and table is on display from 8 June to 16 September and is being held in cooperation with Svensk Form.
www.millesgarden.se

The V�rsalongen (Spring Parlour) reflects the rich diversity of Swedish art
For the fifty-sixth time, Swedish artists will present a bubbling exhibition in the V�rsalongen at the Liljevalchs art gallery in Stockholm. Out of total of 5,000 submitted works, the jury has selected 86 artists and 257 works, including everything from paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and graphics to installations, video works and Net-based art. The V�rsalongen exhibition is not based around a unified theme, but is distinguished by a wealth of different forms of artistic expression. This year, women artists are in the majority for the first time, and an interactive exhibition site has been set up, where visitors can vote on their favourite works and express their opinions. The V�rsalongen is designed to be an exhibition for ordinary Swedes, and a new feature this year is the �People�s Prize�, awarded to the work that receives the greatest number of visitors� votes. The V�rsalongen will be held from 6 April to 27 May 2001.
www.liljevalchs.com



The Vikings � their lives and travels
On 16 June, a Viking exhibition will open at the Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm. This exhibition will allow visitors to study contacts made between the Vikings and other cultures, as well as the importance played by such contacts in the development of the land that would later be known as Sweden. Ancient Viking artefacts combined with ultra-modern technology tell about the period of great changes commonly referred to as the Viking Age.
www.historiska.se