Exhibitions
At Mjellby Art museum you will find shifting exhibitions of the Halmstad Group, a Swedish artist group with an important link to international cubism and surrealism. In addition, we exhibit temporary exhibitions with international and national modern art – often with a focus on gender, norm criticism and society. All of our exhibition texts are provided in English.
Ulla Wiggen, Iris XXIV Maja, 2021. Private. Photo: Ulla Wiggen. With permisson by Galerie Buchholz. ©Ulla Wiggen/Bildupphovsrätt 2025
Ulla Wiggen – Passage
November 22nd 2025 – April 12th 2026
The exhibition presents the long-standing artistic career of artist Ulla Wiggen: from the early paintings of electronics in the 1960s to the recent depictions of human irises.
Wiggen approaches her subjects with calm realism, often using a subdued colour palette. Her career is marked by distinct yet surprising transitions from one subject to another. Many of her works also feature various kinds of passages, where the viewer’s gaze focuses inward on the depicted subject and then back outward again. The relationship between the inner and the outer – both materially and spiritually – is central to her artistry.
Since 1969, the human subject has been a reoccurring motif, which during the 2010s also includes detailed depictions of internal organs. These Intra paintings are at the same time hyperrealistic and completely fictional – in a surrealist spirit. In recent years, Wiggen has received much attention for her Iris paintings, which together with a selection of paintings of electronic circuits and components were exhibited at the Venice Biennial in 2022.
Ulla Wiggen is born in 1942 and lives and works in Stockholm. In 2023, she was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal, one of Sweden’s most prestigious art awards, in recognition of her life’s work.
The curatorial concept is developed by EMMA - Espoo Museum of Modern Art. Passage was first shown at EMMA during the autumn of 2024 and then travelled on to Västerås Art Museum.
The exhibition at EMMA was realised in collaboration with Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany, where an extensive retrospective titled Outside / Inside was shown during the spring and summer of 2024.
Pärlemokusten 3, Axel Olson, 1946, Mjellby art museum
Coast, Sea & Water – The Halmstad Group with Friends
June 7th 2025 – April 12th 2026
The coast of Halland with its special light and landscape has left its mark on many paintings. In Coast, Sea & Water – The Halmstad Group with Friends we encounter the coastal landscape through the brushstrokes of the Halmstad Group – alongside other artists who were connected to the group in various ways.
During the 1940s and 1950s, several members of the Halmstad Group developed a distinctive style of landscape painting, which found its starting point in the immediate environment around Halmstad. They focused on the coastline and its specific light, but also the fishing community and stonemasonry present in the area. Things that the sea washes ashore and common objects – rusty anchors, iron chains, ropes and nails – were elevated from everyday life and filled with meaning and symbolism. Transience, hope, and melancholy are present through depictions of the shifting seasons and a coastal landscape in constant change.
Thea Ekström, Ekström 2 XI 86, 1986. Privately owned.
The Collection
Ongoing
In our filing cabinet and smallest exhibition gallery, we display a selection of artworks and sketches from the collection. This may include shedding light on individual artists or on interpretations of specific artworks.
In 1980, Viveka Bosson (1930-2024) founded Mjällby konstgård (Mjällby Art Gallery). She had returned home to Halmstad after many years in France and at the 50th anniversary of the Halmstad Group the year before, the idea of a museum came up. At her side were her father Erik Olson (1901-1986), Axel Olson (1899-1986), Waldemar Lorentzon (1899-1984), Sven Jonson (1902-1981) and Esaias Thorén (1901-1981). The last member, Stellan Mörner (1896-1979), had already passed away. Together they formed the Halmstad Group Foundation. In order to ensure good representation of the group's artistry, the foundation donated approximately 100 works that would form the basis of a first collection.
In the 1990s, Viveca Bosson donated Mjällby Art Gallery to the municipality of Halmstad. To clarify its mission, the name was changed to Mjellby Art Museum. Mjellby is the older spelling of the area where the museum resides.
A large number of donations and deposits of artworks have been added to the collection over the years. Today, Mjellby Art Museum's collection consists of approximately 1000 artworks. In addition to finished works, there are sketches, drawings and archival material. The majority of the works are by members of the Halmstad Group, but other artists are also represented.
In 2023, Mjellby Art Museum received a large deposit of works by artist Thea Ekström (1920–1988). She grew up in Söndrum outside of Halmstad, but worked primarily in Stockholm and internationally.
Previous exhibitions
- The Halmstad Group
At Mjellby Art museum you will always find shifting exhibitions of the Halmstad Group