A unique museum showcasing the creative process

Art is all around us. It decorates our homes, our streets and our public spaces, wherever we go in the world. Grand sculptures, wall art, watercolour paintings and statues with fascinating histories. Often overlooked, however, are the stories that can be told through the creative process behind the art.

By Hanna Andersson | Photos: Åke E:son Lindman

At Skissernas Museum – the Museum of Artistic Process and Public Art in Lund –you will discover a new perspective. Here, you can learn about and fall in love with the sketches, models, pictures, plans and objects that led to some of the world’s greatest public artworks. “You really need to come and see it for yourself. It’s mindboggling,” says Annie Lindberg, acting museum director at Skissernas Museum.

Skissernas Museum was founded in 1934 by Ragnar Josephson while he was professor of History of Art at Lund University. He wanted to create an archive of the creative process that students could study. “He described it as ‘the birth of a work of art’,” explains Lindberg with a smile.

“He started asking for donations from Swedish artists, and noticed that they happily gave away their material. Within just a couple of years he had gathered thousands of sketches and other work that showcased the creative process.”

The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of creative-process works and public art, and includes 30,000 objects from across the globe which invite visitors to consider the creative process and how ideas become finished artworks.

“We want our visitors to feel inspired by the creative journey. There’s also a space where people can discuss and reflect on public art. We ask questions like who decided what art we see? Is there a message behind it? How does it make us feel? Public art mirrors society, so it’s an important conversation to have,” explains Lindberg.

Both the content and the design of the museum are unique. It feels more like a creative art studio than an art gallery. “You walk into a creative chaos. It feels a bit like walking into the artist’s atelier,” laughs Lindberg. www.skissernasmuseum.se

In 2023, Skissernas Museum will present the exhibition Architecture Sculpture, featuring work by the artist and architect Petra Gipp and the world-renowned architect Sigurd Lewerentz, who famously said “the only thing I know is that you should do what you don’t normally do” – a beautiful nod to the creative process and why it’s worth exploring.

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