Borås Konstmuseum

About the museum

As early as the late 1950s there were proposals for a new culture house in Borås that would house the city theatre, the city library and an art museum. It was not until 1975 that the Kulturhuset (Culture House) was completed. The Borås och Sjuhäradsbygdens konstförening (Borås and Sjuhäradsbygden Art Association), which had existed since 1934, and the Borås Konstmusei Vänner (Friends of the Borås Art Museum), formed in 1943, had over the years bought artworks for a future museum, and when the building was ready the collections were handed over to the municipality.

About 3,200 works then passed into municipal ownership, including works by Albin Amelin, Carl Kylberg, Isaac Grünewald and Einar Jolin. The purchasing policy over the years had been directed towards contemporary art, with emphasis on West Coast painting, the Gothenburg Colourists (Göteborgskolan) and the Halmstad Group, and a large graphic art collection was built up for educational reasons. Since then the collection has been expanded through purchases and donations, and today it comprises just over 5,000 works, mainly by Swedish artists but also by international ones.

The museum shows national and international contemporary art and has a selection from the collection in an exhibition on the second floor. The museum is also responsible for the city's public and urban art, and since 2008 has organised the art biennial Borås Art Biennial, previously the Borås International Sculpture Biennial. In the Lars Tunbjörk Centre for Photography visitors can explore the legacy of the photographer Lars Tunbjörk.

Highlights

• Collection of just over 5,000 works, including by Carl Kylberg, Isaac Grünewald and Anders Zorn
• About twenty miniature portraits by the Borås-born P A Hall
• Lars Tunbjörk Centre for Photography
• Borås Art Biennial and the city's public art
• The studio with free creative activities for all ages

Permanent exhibitions

• Verk ur samlingen – A selection from the museum's collection of just over 5,000 works is always shown in an exhibition on the second floor, with painting, sculpture, drawing, graphics, photography and video art.
• Lars Tunbjörk center för fotografi – A room on the upper floor where Lars Tunbjörk's photographic legacy is presented, together with a photo exhibition linked to him.

Operated by

Borås Stad

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to all exhibitions and programmes. Regular guided visits and introductions are free of charge.

Accessibility

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

A lift at the entrance takes visitors to the exhibitions on level 2 and down to the cloakroom. Färdtjänst (door-to-door transport for people with disabilities) drives right up to the entrance of Kulturhuset. A wheelchair can be borrowed at the entrance. There are toilets on every floor; the toilet at the entrance is accessible. Seating is available on all floors, and folding chairs to carry around can be found at the entrance. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed. Sign language and audio description can be arranged by contacting the museum before the visit. The staff speak Swedish and English.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

The museum offers activities for all ages, including guided tours, film screenings and creative workshops. Visitors can create for free in the studio, and during school holidays holiday activities are arranged for children and young people. There is a changing table in the toilet at the entrance.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the Kulturhuset in central Borås. Färdtjänst drives right up to the entrance of Kulturhuset.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Coat check
• Lockers

Restaurant Utbult Borneby & Co, with a bistro and café menu, is located in the Kulturhuset, wall to wall with the museum. Coat hangers and free-of-charge lockers are on the basement level. Food and drink brought from outside may not be consumed in the museum's premises.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit