Abecita Popkonst & Foto

About the museum

Abecita Popkonst & Foto is located in a former factory building on Herrljungagatan in Knalleland in Borås, where the corset company Abecita has been based since 1942. Since 2006 a private art museum has been housed in the building, first under the name Abecita Konstmuseum and since 2021 under its current name. The museum is based on the collection of Berit and Bengt Swegmark, which was started in the late 1960s and was originally intended to hang in their home.

The collection consists of around 500 works, mainly graphic art and photography from Europe and the USA, as well as award-winning Nordic textile art, by some thirty artists from 1961 onwards. It is based on the breakthrough of Pop Art in the 1960s and includes works by Warhol, Rauschenberg, Bourgeois, Hockney, Hamilton, Lichtenstein and Jim Dine, among others. Perhaps the most significant work is Richard Hamilton's small collage from 1956. The textile art is currently not shown in the galleries.

A large number of works from the collection are always on display on the museum's fourth and fifth floors, and they are changed at regular intervals. The museum also shows exhibitions by photographers on an ongoing basis, has a café and a bookshop with art and photography books, and offers conferences and guided visits.

Highlights

• Pop Art and graphic art by, among others, Warhol, Hockney, Lichtenstein and Hamilton
• Richard Hamilton's collage from 1956
• Photography exhibitions and photo evenings
• Café with coffee or tea included in admission and seven kinds of cookies
• Bookshop with art and photography books

Permanent exhibition

• Samlingen – Around 500 works, mainly graphic art and photography from Europe and the USA, as well as Nordic textile art, by some thirty artists from 1961 onwards. A selection is shown on floors 4 and 5 and changed at regular intervals.

Founded

2006

Operated by

Abecita Popkonst & Foto (familjen Swegmark)

Admission & discounts

Coffee or tea is included in the admission. Payment by card, Swish and Knalleland gift cards.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A passenger lift runs from the entrance to the reception on floor 3 and further up, and a larger goods lift can be used when needed. The galleries have no thresholds, and a wheelchair can be borrowed at the ticket desk. An accessible toilet with a changing table is located by the reception. Färdtjänst (door-to-door transport for people with disabilities) drives right up to the entrance. There are seats and portable chairs, and the event hall has an induction loop. The building is currently being renovated, and the courtyard in front of the entrance is a building site with very limited access for wheelchairs and pushchairs; the larger lift may also be out of order.

Kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

Children under 15 accompanied by a parent enter free of charge, and there is a changing table in the toilet by the reception. During the building work, access for pushchairs is very limited.

Getting there & parking

By car: follow the signs towards Knalleland and Djurpark in Borås, and turn right by the swimming arena to Herrljungagatan 15.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café with coffee or tea included in the admission and seven kinds of small cookies to buy. Bookshop with art and photography books. Coat hangers and lockers free of charge are available at the reception on floor 3. Food and drink brought from outside may not be eaten or drunk on the premises, except by small children.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 50 guests.

Conference on the museum's fifth floor with a short guided tour, coffee and a fruit basket; up to 50 people can book. Event hall for private views and evening events.

Plan your visit