ArkDes
News
13.01.2025
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Donation of Asplund’s Original Sketch to ArkDes

Sketch of Skandiateatern, Stockholm, 1922–1923. Architect: Gunnar Asplund. ArkDes collection.

The non-profit association Friends of ArkDes has donated a unique original sketch by the architect Gunnar Asplund to the ArkDes collection.

The sketch, created with colored crayons on paper, depicts a perspective view of the auditorium in the cinema Skandia ↗ (formerly the Skandia Theatre) in Stockholm. It is one of the original interior sketches, drawn between 1922 and 1923. Skandia is considered one of Gunnar Asplund’s most remarkable works.

“This is a fantastic gift from the Friends of ArkDes and a valuable addition to our unique collection, which we make accessible to everyone. We already have plans to digitize and include the sketch in our collection exhibition, where we are currently showcasing nine of Asplund’s drawings of the Stockholm Public Library,” says Karin Nilsson, Acting Director General.

Gunnar Asplund was a leading figure of 1920s classicism, known as “Swedish Grace,” and, as the chief architect of the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930, played a key role in introducing functionalism to Sweden. His most famous works include the Woodland Cemetery (together with Sigurd Lewerentz), the Stockholm Public Library, the extension of the Gothenburg City Hall, and Skandia in Stockholm.

Today, over 26,000 drawings, sketches, watercolors, and documents by Gunnar Asplund are part of the ArkDes collection, with a significant portion digitized and made available to the public via DigitaltMuseum ↗. As part of ArkDes’ efforts to preserve and make Sweden’s architectural history accessible, a high-quality reproduction of the sketch will also be produced and presented to Skandia. The sketch is also featured in the standard reference work Gunnar Asplund arkitekt 1885–1940.