Sculpture Walk in Stockholm

We at the gallery love discovering large and small works of art in the open air; here you can enjoy some of our favorites in central Stockholm.

1. Prince Eugen’s Waldemar Stud

  • THE THINKER | Christophe Rodin

  • THE FROG | Per Hasselgren

  • THE WATER LILY | Per Hasselgren
View the entire sculpture collection

2. IDYLL

Christian Eriksson

Idyll is a bronze sculpture by Christian Eriksson from 1907. The only copy is owned by the Djurgården Management in Stockholm. The sculpture previously stood on Kärleksudden at Djurgårdsbrunnsviken on Södra Djurgården in Stockholm, but is now instead located on the unnamed point between Framnäsudden and Kaptensudden.

Princess Estelle’s Sculpture Park

3. Life rings | Elmgreen Dragset

Life Rings by the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset consists of a nearly eight-meter-high stack of stainless steel lifebuoys. By transforming an everyday lifesaving device into a monumental sculpture, the work explores themes of safety, community, and human vulnerability. The tower-like structure evokes both recognition and wonder, prompting the viewer to reflect on solidarity and our relationships with one another in an increasingly individualized world. The sculpture was unveiled in 2021 and is part of Princess Estelle’s Cultural Foundation’s collection.

See the full collection here

4. THE RECLINING DIANA | Jean Goujon

The Reclining Diana is a sculpture group from the mid-16th century created by the French sculptor Jean Goujon, a prominent artist of Mannerism. The work depicts the goddess of the hunt, Diana, and was a gift from King Henry II of France to his mistress Diane de Poitiers.

The sculpture was later considered to be of such high artistic quality that it was placed in the Louvre, but it disappeared during World War II. In the 1950s, the Louvre commissioned a copy from Bergman's art foundry, based on a marble replica in the Vatican. An additional bronze copy was commissioned for the sculpture park in Rottneros. When the sculpture was exhibited in Stockholm, it attracted great attention, and thanks to a donation from the art patron Axel Hirsch, Stockholm was also able to acquire a copy of the work.

5. HERE LIES THE FUTURE | Lars Arrhenius & Eric Ericsson

Here Lies the Future is a thought-provoking artwork by Lars Arrhenius and Eric Ericson, permanently installed in the forest near the Kaknäs Tower since 2021. The work was originally created for the exhibition Silent Spring during the 2020 pandemic and consists of a tomb-like installation with the inscription "Here Lies the Future". The sculpture touches on themes such as climate change, environmental destruction, and the consequences of the pandemic, while also raising existential questions about humanity's relationship with nature and our shared future.

6. THE FIRST SAILBOAT | David Wretling

The first sailboat is just a model, but the crew, a young boy, is notably wearing a life jacket.

7. MUSICAL ANGELS | Carl Milles

Bronze sculpture in the gallery

See all sculptures here

  • 8. THE CITY | Lars-Erik Husberg

    The sculpture, created by Lars-Erik Husberg, consists of various rectangular compartments with different shapes and at slightly different levels. The title The City is associated with the church towers and other features found in densely built-up areas; for example, the Globen is included, long before it was ever intended. Some parts of the sculpture are movable, and the work can also be seen as a “tile game”.

  • 9. THE CENTAUR | Sigrid Fridman

    The Centaur is Sigrid Fridman's most famous work and a well-known landmark on Observatoriekullen. The sculpture met with strong opposition when it was presented in the 1920s, not least due to the prejudices of the time against female sculptors. Fridman's proposal for Norrmalmstorg was eventually rejected by the city, but after eleven years, the Centaur found its place on Observatoriekullen. There, it has become one of Stockholm's most appreciated public artworks.

  • 10. TRANSFORMATIONS | Chris Gibson

    Soft, amorphous forms, twisting around each other like a Möbius strip, characterize Chris Gibson's sculpture in the middle of the grassy roundabout at Vanadisplan.

11. LIKE A MIRAGE | Lap-See Lam

This dreamlike artwork by Lap-See Lam takes root in the history and future of the site. The design resembles an oversized picture book with openings that allow the viewer to see through the work and into new perspectives. Through themes of memory, dreams, and displacement, the artist creates a poetic portal between reality and fantasy, while the work draws on experiences from the Cantonese diaspora.

12. POETRY AND ENCHANTMENT

Majalisa Alexanderson

In 1993, the Eva Bonnier Foundation invited three artists to a design competition on the theme “From Astrid Lindgren’s World.” The Foundation’s board decided that Majalisa Alexanderson’s proposal would be realized. In 1996, the completed sculpture was unveiled in the presence of Astrid Lindgren.

Majalisa Alexanderson chose to depict Astrid Lindgren as a storyteller, surrounded by several of her characters: Peter and Petra, Göran and Mr. Liljkvist, Ylva-Li, among others. A cherry tree above the sculpture adds to the fairytale atmosphere, especially when it is in bloom.

13. LITTLE LION | Monika Masser

Monika Masser's sculpture Little Lion in black-patinated bronze was installed when the Traffic Office renovated Kungsholmstorg in 2008.

14. KLARA | Lasse Andreasson

The sculpture is a high-relief map of the demolished Klara, a tribute to the old Klara neighborhoods and a protest against the politically motivated demolitions. The artwork is laden with symbols: a telephone receiver marks the Telephone Tower at Brunkebergstorg, a schnapps glass symbolizes Hotel Gillet at the square, a figure with a banner and top hat is Carl Jonas Love Almqvist, who was rector at Nya Elementar on Mäster Samuelsgatan etc.

The spade with the Stadhushuset tower alludes to the corridors of power where Klara's fate was decided.

15. SANCTUARY | Ann-Sofi Sidén & Mats Fahlander

Sanctuary is a memorial by Ann-Sofi Sidén and Mats Fahlander that honors the victims of the terror attack on Drottninggatan in 2017 and the solidarity shown after the tragedy. The work at Sergels Torg consists of a golden, heated bronze blanket that symbolizes care, safety, and human warmth in times of crisis. The blanket's surface contains literary quotes about the human condition, making the sculpture a place for reflection, remembrance, and community.

16. MARGARETA KROOK | Marie-Louise Ekman, Heinrich Muellner, Tilda Lovell, Hanna Beling

The sculpture of Margaretha Krook outside the Royal Dramatic Theatre has been a cherished addition to Stockholm's urban environment since 2002. The work was created at the initiative of Marie-Louise Ekman and designed by Heinrich Muellner, Tilda Lovell, and Hanna Beling, who were responsible for the sculpture's expressive face. The lifelike bronze sculpture stands directly on the street without a pedestal and is equipped with heating coils that keep it at 37 degrees warm year-round – a symbol of the warmth and presence that Margaretha Krook conveyed to her audience.

17. PARADISE | Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely

Paradise was originally created for the 1967 World Expo in Montreal. In the work, Niki de Saint Phalle's colorful, life-affirming, and rounded female figures meet Jean Tinguely's black, angular, and clattering machines.

During the warm season, the figures are set in motion and spray water that trickles through the installation. According to tradition, there was an orange tree in the Garden of Eden, which is why many monastery gardens have orange trees. Of course, there is also such a tree in this paradise. Look closely – you will find it.

  • 18. HOMELESS FOX | Laura Ford

    Homeless Fox was created by the British sculptor Laura Ford, born 1961. Her sculptures are held in collections including Tate Modern and the Arts Council of Great Britain. The fox is part of her sculpture suite Rag and Bone, in which forest animals are depicted in the vulnerable situation of the homeless.

  • 19. THE WAVE AND THE WINDS | Nils Sjögren

    This small sculptural group, modeled in 1931, was originally intended to be executed five times larger and placed in Mosebacke Square. Eva Bonnier's Bequest Committee donated the sculpture to the city in 1977.

  • 20. BOY LOOKING AT THE MOON | Liss Eriksson

    Boy Looking at the Moon is one of Sweden's smallest public sculptures. The work is based on one of the artist's childhood experiences; when Liss Eriksson could not sleep, he sat huddled in his bed and looked out the window at the moon. The sculpture's form is stylized. The restraint of the form is contrasted by the warmth of the expression.

21. SAINT GORAN AND THE DRAGON / THE PRINCESS

Bernt Notke

The myth of Saint George and the dragon was well known in Europe, but Sten Sture the Elder wanted to give the artwork a clear message. The work was commissioned to commemorate his and the Swedes' victory over the Danes at Brunkeberg in 1471. Saint George was to symbolize Sten Sture and the goodness and courage of the Swedes, while the dragon represented evil—the Danes. The princess represents the besieged city of Stockholm and the nation. The sculpture group has been given a highly expressive form. The battle is merciless and fierce, and beneath the dragon lie the remains of several bodies. Saint George attacks the dragon, while the princess waits anxiously to see the outcome of the fight. The bronze copy is of good quality, but we also warmly recommend a visit to Storkyrkan.

  • 22. SIX GIRLS | Lena Cronqvist

    The thin girls have populated Cronqvist's universe since the 1990s – defiant and independent, perverse and often cruel.

  • 23. THE FOOLS' BOAT | Sture Collin

    The work, an interpretation of the medieval image of humanity as a ship drifting aimlessly toward perdition, with a crew of panicked fools, was donated to the city by Eva Bonnier's charitable committee. The artist wanted it to be placed outside the county council's building, a proposal whose symbolism was not appreciated.

  • 24. SNÖKLOCKAN | Per Hasselberg

    This is the city's first sculpture erected solely as a work of art, not to honor or commemorate any famous person. The original in plaster is in Ronneby City Hall, and a marble copy is in the Nationalmuseum collection.
See more public artworks in Stockholm