History
of Göteborgs
Konsthall

Göteborgs Konsthall was inaugurated as part of the major Jubilee Exhibition to mark the city’s 300th anniversary, which had been celebrated two years earlier.

From 1923 to 2024, Göteborgs Konsthall was located in the city centre at Götaplatsen. However, during 2025–2026, the institution will relocate to new premises in Slakthuset, in the area of Gamlestaden. At this new location, the art gallery will continue its mission of presenting contemporary art. Read more about the relocation.

The First 100 Years (1923–2024)

In 1923, a large-scale Jubilee Exhibition was held in Gothenburg to commemorate the city’s 300th anniversary, which had occurred two years earlier. Several key buildings were constructed for the event, including Göteborgs Konsthall, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Liseberg Park and the Gothenburg Botanical Garden.

The building at Götaplatsen, designed by architects Sigfrid Ericson and Arvid Bjerke, still stands as an architectural masterpiece in the heart of the city and is now a listed cultural heritage site. Adjacent to the Gothenburg Museum of Art, its façade is adorned with distinctive grey-yellow brick, three beautifully arched niches, and sculptures by the artist Palle Pernevi. Together with the building’s neoclassical elements, these features create a dignified setting for the art that was exhibited here between 1923 and 2024.

Over the years, the operations of Göteborgs Konsthall have been managed by various entities. After the Jubilee Exhibition, the building came under municipal ownership, while the Gothenburg Art Association took responsibility for the exhibitions. The Association continued to run the venue until 1967, when the Gothenburg Museum of Art assumed management. For a few years in the late 1990s, the art gallery operated as an independent institution, before coming back under the administration of the City of Gothenburg in 2001 and becoming part of the Department of Cultural Affairs. Since then, Göteborgs Konsthall and the Gothenburg Museum of Art have remained separate institutions.

Since the Jubilee Exhibition, Göteborgs Konthall has hosted a wide array of memorable exhibitions featuring masterpieces by artists such as Edvard Munch, Nils Dardel, Sigrid Hjertén, Isaac Grünewald, Anders Zorn, Vera Nilsson, Sven Erixson, Tora Vega Holmström, and Bror Hjorth. Internationally renowned artists including Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jackson Pollock, Joan Miró, Endre Nemes, and Per Kirkeby have also been exhibited.

In more recent years, Göteborgs Konsthall has showcased national and international artists such as Alfredo Jaar, Francis Alÿs, Mona Hatoum, Bruce Nauman, Monica Bonvicini, Fikret Atay, Mounir Fatmi, Otobong Nkanga, Gabrielle Goliath, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Zheng Bo, Sara-Vide Ericson, Nina Bondeson, Jonatan Pihlgren, Phoebe Boswell, among many others. These are just a few highlights from the thousands of exhibitions that have left their mark on the city’s cultural memory.

From 2025 – A New Era

In 2025, a new chapter begins for Göteborgs Konsthall as it moves to new premises in the Slakthuset area of Gamlestaden. With a new setting rooted in industrial history and a growing cityscape, the art gallery will continue its commitment to showcasing both national and international contemporary art. The aim is to offer the public in Gothenburg – and curious global citizens – unique encounters and experiences for many years to come. The reopening is planned for 2026.