Thiel Gallery: The Swedish Fine Art Museum You Should Visit

Located on the beautiful island of Djurgården, Thiel Gallery is well regarded as one of the finest art galleries in all of Sweden. Constructed in 1907, the building was designed by Ferdinand Boberg for banker and art collector Ernest Thiel, who lived there from the time the building was completed until his death in 1924. Now, this building serves as the Thiel Gallery and has had little-to-no renovations since the time Thiel lived there.

The gallery hosts a wide variety of artists spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of the artists featured at the gallery include Eugène Jansson, Carl Larsson, Bruno Liljefors, August Strindberg, and Anders Zorn. One of the best rooms in the entire gallery is the tower, which contains Nietzsche’s death mask and prints by Edvard Munch.

Like any gallery, there are different exhibits that come and go. Currently, there is an exhibit showing the work of Tyra Kleen (1874-1951) as well as some self-portrait nudes by Karlsson Rixon and Mario Fjell, which are inspired from the nude sketches of women by Anders Zorn. The most recent exhibit currently available for viewing is the installation in the park by Elin Elfström and Emanuel Röhss. However, if you are looking towards the future, one of the exhibits you can visit soon is the Ivan Aguéli (1869-1917) collection focused on painting and mysticism.

Like many places in Stockholm, the Thiel Gallery has a small cafe open to the public. The cafe offers a wide variety of food for guests to choose from, such as seasonal soups, homemade sandwiches, pastries, freshly baked bread and the like. When the weather is nice during the summer months, you are allowed to go outside with your treats and enjoy the wonderful sculpture garden.

The Thiel Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5pm and on Thursdays from noon to 8pm, with Mondays being completely closed. Admission costs are 130 sek ($14.60) for adults, 100 sek ($11.23) for seniors and students, and free for individuals 18 and under. In addition, you may wish to receive a guided tour of the gallery. If so, you will need to have at least 10 other people with you and that comes at a minimum cost of 1,700 sek ($190.92) per group.