The Stockholm Exhibition 1930

Explore digitised objects from the ArkDes collection, with a focus on the 2024–2025 exhibition period and the theme The Stockholm Exhibition 1930.

In the summer of 1930, functionalism sweeps into Sweden and four million people visit the Stockholm Exhibition of Arts and Crafts and Home Industries, located on Djurgården. Among them is the writer Ivar Lo-Johansson, who describes how door handles, large windows, and simple furniture are meant to make people feel open and clear. This new era has no room for traditional style ideals. The framing is colourful and festive, but the purpose is serious – the exhibition aims to help Swedish popular taste become more modern. The architecture and design are intended to foster a new way of life, perhaps even a new type of person.