Museum
Monika Sosnowska

Through her unique artistic language and use of architecture and traditional building materials such as rebar, concrete or steel beams, Monika Sosnowska has distinguished herself as one of the most prominent contemporary of today. Often referring to historical buildings, her works embody the dialogue between physical space and its emotional experience.

Sosnowska's monumental sculpture Museum draws its inspiration and material from an intended art museum for Rosendal, initiated by King Karl XIV Johan in the 1830s. Despite ten years of planning, the museum never materialised, but hundreds of marble pieces were ordered and have since been stored. Eleven of the nearly 200-year-old original pieces, initially intended to adorn the museum's facade and interior, are now integrated into an open installation. They balance on top of, lean against, and pierce concrete structures reminiscent of various building fragments – a wall section, a portal, a pillar or a staircase. The marble's smooth surface and carefully carved details contrast sharply with the rough-cast concrete. Past meets present in a sculpture that lies in the borderland between architecture and art.

Sosnowska's sculpture forms a room, surrounded by the landscaped park on the hill Rosendal terrace. The sculpture stands on an uneven gravel surface with wild plants growing out of it. Is it under construction or a ruin of the museum that never materialised?

Museum is the sixth work acquired by the Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation and was donated thanks to a gift from Elin Kling and Karl Lindman. The sculpture will be inaugurated on 3 June 2025 at 1 pm by H.R.H. Prince Daniel.