Copenhagen
Sweden’s Moderna Museet in Stockholm has received a government grant of SKr5m ($750,000) to acquire art by women.
Last year director Lars Nittve asked the government for SKr50m ($7.5m) to fund the purchase of more art by women. The initiative is intended to mark the museum’s 50th anniversary next year. Despite having been granted only one tenth of that amount, Mr Nittve says he is happy with the result. “It acknowledges our aim and improves our acquisitions possibilities,” he said.
The museum has received significant private donations for its campaign. A total of around E1.8m ($2.5m) has so far been raised from individuals, including the Bonnier family (owners of the Bonnier Publishing Group) and the Swedish-American investors Barbro and Bernhard Osher. Works by Dorothea Tanning, Louise Bourgeois, Carolee Schneeman (right) and others have already been purchased and acquisitions are ongoing.
This year the museum has allocated E460,000 ($639,000) for acquisitions (not including the extra SKr5m). The government leaves it to individual museums to decide how much of their total budget they want to use for acquisitions.