ArkDes

ArkDes Collection

Proposal of water towers, Kuwait. 1968. Architect: Malene Björn and Sune Lindström, VBB. Illustration: Tom Hultgren. ArkDes collection.
Exhibitions
Starts - ongoing
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Hall 2

ArkDes Collection

ArkDes has one of the world’s largest collections of architecture and design. In the museum’s upcoming collection display, you will find a selection of buildings, ideas and places that have shaped modern Sweden.

The collection exhibition is divided into themes where you can follow the life cycle of design: from the initial ideas on the drawing board to how architecture and design take shape in our cities. Here, you can discover unique objects: sketches, photos, models, drawings, and documents that show how design and creativity influence society.

ArkDes Collection is more than an exhibition – it is a living, collaborative and evolving experience. The works are shown temporarily to be admired and studied, but also discussed and questioned, with members of the curatorial team present in the exhibition rooms. These conversations and discussions bring new perspectives into the works, offering more diverse views and histories to be told. ArkDes invites you to share in the experience of Unboxing the collection together with you.

See the world through the eyes of the designer, reflect on the role of architecture in society, and imagine the future together with us. Welcome to explore the collection of works that shaped modern Sweden. It will be a journey you don’t want to miss.

About the ArkDes Collection

ArkDes’s collection comprises over four million objects created by architects and designers such as Gunnar Asplund, Léonie Geisendorf, and Sigurd Lewerentz. Each year, a new selection of sketches, photos, and models is presented in the collection exhibition. For the first time, the audience will have the opportunity to delve into stories and original works from the museum’s vast archive. 

Photo: Marco Cappelletti. 2024. CC BY. ArkDes Collection.
Tomteboda Mail Terminal, Solna. 1981. Architect: Gustaf Rosenberg. Illustration: Juliette Ciliberto. ArkDes collection.
Stockholm Exhibition 1930. Sigurd Lewerentz and Gunnar Asplund. Photographer unknown. ArkDes collection.
Arctic City, proposal. 1958. Ralph Erskine. ArkDes collection.
Urban plan for 2000 families, Stuyvesant Town, New York. 1951. Josef Frank. ArkDes collection.
The Quarter Duggregnet, Stockholm. 1957. Georg Varhelyi. ArkDes collection.
Photo: Marco Cappelletti. 2024. ArkDes Collection.
Photo: Marco Cappelletti. 2024. ArkDes Collection.
Photo: Marco Cappelletti. 2024. ArkDes Collection.