🎨 Contemporary art in Scandinavia: 12 museums worth flying there for

✨ Why fly to Scandinavia just for the museums?

If you are used to thinking of Paris, London and, at most, Berlin as the centres of "great art", Scandinavia may have long seemed like a secondary destination. Quiet cities, cold seas, warm lamps in windows, lots of wood and glass — where is the expression and drive here?

But it is here that a quiet revolution has taken place over the last decade: former industrial buildings have been transformed into gigantic spaces for installations, museum architecture has become part of the exhibition, and the cities themselves have become an extension of the exhibition.

In 2025, the north is particularly attractive:

● major museums have already learned to live in the rhythm of TikTok and Reels without turning into attractions;

● the programmes for 2025–2026 at Louisiana, Moderna Museet, Kiasma, MUNCH and others are dense, with a strong international agenda;

● and tickets are still cheaper than at top museums in Paris or New York for comparable exhibitions.

And yes, people are already flying here "just for the museums" — for a weekend in Copenhagen for Louisiana, a long weekend in Helsinki for Kiasma + Amos Rex, and to Oslo for MUNCH and Astrup Fearnley. If you love contemporary art in Finland and the north in general, this is no longer a niche route, but a very conscious choice.

Below are 12 museums that make this choice truly worthwhile. Four countries, four capitals, several "non-capital" surprises and a lot of architecture that even the silent Scandinavians take out their phones to photograph.

🇫🇮 Finland — Helsinki and Espoo: Kiasma, Amos Rex, EMMA

Kiasma, Helsinki — the nerve centre of Finnish contemporary art

Kiasma is a museum that literally stands at a crossroads: between the train station, the parliament, the city centre and the future. Steven Holl's curved building unfolds into the city like a light channel: during the day it catches the northern light, at night it glows from within.

What is important to understand about Kiasma:

● it is a national museum of contemporary art with a focus on the 1970s and later;

● there is always a large collective exhibition and several powerful temporary projects (from political exhibitions to radical performances);

● it is a clubbing spot in the city: lectures, performances, cinema, teen and family programmes.

If you are wondering which museums in Helsinki are definitely worth visiting even on a short weekend break, Kiasma will be in the top three, no question. It is not 'somewhere on the outskirts', but literally at the heart of city life.

Amos Rex, Helsinki — a museum beneath hills and neon lights

Amos Rex is an introverted museum: from the street, you can only see the dome-shaped hills of Lasipalatsi Square and the neon tower, while the main magic is hidden underground.

What makes Amos Rex a reason in itself to fly to Helsinki:

● major international exhibitions from teamLab to Leandro Erlich, which are designed specifically for this space;

● playing with architecture: you walk across the square, step onto the dome, and beneath your feet is a hall with an installation;

● a strong focus on the younger generation of artists (the Generation triennial) — a good starting point for understanding where northern art is heading.

Together with Kiasma, it's the perfect pairing: "national nerve" + "international experiment". It's easy to fit in a walk through the city centre, coffee, dinner and a sauna between them — resulting in a day entirely built around art.

EMMA, Espoo — Finland's largest museum in a former printing house

EMMA — Espoo Museum of Modern Art — is technically not in Helsinki, but in neighbouring Espoo, but it is only half an hour away from the capital's centre by metro and bus. And this is one of those cases where you get a whole new world in that half hour.

Important facts to know:

● it is Finland's largest museum in terms of exhibition space (approximately 5,000 m²);

● it is housed in the former WeeGee printing house — a classic concrete modernist building with huge open halls;

● it has impressive permanent collections from the Saastamoinen Foundation and design collections (a gem for those interested in the connection between art and the material world).

EMMA is a good choice for a day when you are tired of the city centre and want to get "a little out of the way" without going completely into the woods and lakes. And yes, if you are thinking about where to live in Finland between the city and nature, the area with good access to Espoo and WeeGee offers both.

🇩🇰 Denmark — Louisiana, ARoS, Copenhagen Contemporary

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk — a museum with a sea view

Louisiana is almost a genre unto itself. The museum of modern art in Humlebæk, about 35 km from Copenhagen, stands on the shores of the Øresund strait, and its park pavilions stretch along the water and the sculpture garden.

What is important here is not only what hangs on the walls (and this includes Giacometti, Kusama, Marisol and Jon Rafman in the current programme), but also how you move between the rooms: glass corridors, low ceilings, sea views, children's rooms, a café with huge windows.

This is one of those rare occasions when you can honestly say: yes, people really do fly here "just for a weekend in Louisiana".

If you are choosing where to go in Copenhagen to experience architecture, nature and art at the same time, the combination of "a day in the city + a day at Louisiana" is a very good choice.

ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus — a rainbow over the city

ARoS is the main museum in Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city. Even if you've never Googled "Danish contemporary art," you've probably seen its "rainbow" — the circular panoramic gallery Your Rainbow Panorama on the roof, designed by Olafur Eliasson.

Inside:

● a large permanent collection of contemporary art from Scandinavia and around the world;

● powerful temporary exhibitions (from dense painting to digital installations);

● interactive works that are suitable for both teenagers and adults.

Outside:

the same round corridor made of coloured glass, along which you walk above the city, changing the colour of the world every few steps.

ARoS fits perfectly into a 10-day Scandinavian itinerary if you are travelling by train/car from Germany through Jutland: it is a natural "anchor" for Aarhus and a reason to stay in the city for an extra day.

Copenhagen Contemporary — industrial spaces and giant installations

Copenhagen Contemporary (CC) is housed in former industrial workshops on Refshaleøen, Copenhagen's former shipbuilding district, which is being transformed into a cultural cluster.

What to expect:

● large installations, video art and performances that simply would not fit into a classic museum space;

● a focus on international artists, often those you have already seen in Venice, Berlin or Tate;

● a feeling of a 'living' space: here, it's easy to find yourself at a lecture, concert or screening without planning ahead.

CC is a good answer to anyone who thinks Scandinavia is only about cosiness and ceramics. Here, contemporary art honestly plays with scale, technology and the viewer's body — and yes, many exhibitions travel from here to the rest of the world.

🇸🇪 Sweden — Moderna Museet, Fotografiska, Malmö Konsthall

Moderna Museet, Stockholm — a classic of modernism and powerful contemporary art

Moderna Museet is located on the island of Scheppsholmen, and its location alone sets the tone: you walk across the bridge, look at the water and enter one of Europe's leading museums of contemporary and modern art.

Inside, there is a strong collection of 20th-century art (Picasso, Dalí, Rauschenberg) and a rich programme of contemporary exhibitions: from the politically charged projects of Laia Abril, Emily Jacir and Teresa Margolles to experiments with new formats.

If you're wondering what to see in Stockholm in winter so you don't spend the whole day in a shopping centre, Moderna is one of the most exciting options: you can spend half a day there and not feel tired — there's too much visual food for thought.

Fotografiska, Stockholm — photography as a major museum genre

Fotografiska in Stockholm is a "museum that is not a museum"; officially, it is an exhibition space, but in terms of scale and quality of programming, it can easily be placed alongside major institutions.

Strengths:

● a constant stream of exhibitions ranging from stars (Annie Leibovitz, Mapplethorpe, Corbijn, etc.) to sharp documentary series;

● open late: you can visit in the evening, combine it with dinner and a view of the water;

● a good entry point for those who are afraid of "not understanding" contemporary art: photography is easier to read, but in terms of content, it is in no way inferior.

Fotografiska is easy to fit into any city itinerary: it is not a "separate expedition" but a place you can visit on either the first or last day of your trip.

Malmö Konsthall, Malmö — a huge hall for changing experiments

Malmö Konsthall is one of the largest venues for contemporary painting and installation art in Europe: 2,000 m² of light, concrete, glass, wood and air. It exists as a pure space that is recreated each time for the next exhibition.

Important:

● it does not have its own permanent collection in the usual sense — only 3–4 large exhibitions per year;

● it works extensively with international artists;

● admission is often free, which is a nice relief for the budget.

If you are planning a route through Copenhagen and Malmö (the same Øresund bridge/tunnel), this hall is a great reason to spend at least half a day in Malmö, rather than just passing through.

🇳🇴 Norway — MUNCH, Astrup Fearnley, Henie Onstad

MUNCH, Oslo — Munch's home and a laboratory for the new

The new MUNCH on the Bjørvika waterfront is not just "one hall with The Scream," but a huge vertical machine where classic Munchs, international exhibitions and experimental projects coexist on different floors.

What makes it a must-see:

● the scale of the Munch collection (one of the largest in the world) and the variety of exhibitions around it;

● programmes with living artists who argue with Munch, talk to him, and rework his themes;

● the fact that it is not only a museum but also an important public space in the city (views from the windows, cafés, events).

It's easy to combine a visit to MUNCH with a walk along the waterfront, a trip to the opera and a short art tour of street art in the area — that's almost a whole day in Oslo.

Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo — a private collection that has become a symbol of the neighbourhood

Astrup Fearnley is a private museum of contemporary art on the Tømmersholmen peninsula, which in recent years has become almost a postcard image of Oslo: Renzo Piano's building with wooden decking by the water, a sculpture park, a restaurant, and yachts all around.

Inside is one of the strongest collections of international contemporary art in the region:

● American and European neo-pop;

● large installations;

● many names that you are used to seeing in the "big world" rather than in "little Norway".

It is the perfect place to get a feel for Oslo as a city that has moved beyond its image as a "boring northern capital" and now plays by the same rules as the world's major art centres.

Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden — museum, park, sea

Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Høvikodden (15–20 minutes from Oslo) is an example of how a museum can be both a serious institution and a place for a day trip by the sea.

What's important here:

● a strong collection of modernism and the contemporary Norwegian/international scene;

● regular major retrospectives (including the current exhibition by Tom Sandberg) — this is a place where people come to "see the whole artist";

● a sculpture park, footpaths, a beach and a café, where art does not end at the museum door.

Henie Onstad perfectly fulfils the request for "a day outside Oslo, but without wild mountains/forests": here you still have the northern air, water and light, but with a large dose of culture.

📋 Summary: who is responsible for what in this top twelve

To make it easier to navigate, let's put everything in one table.

🎟 How to plan your trip: one city, two cities, a whole tour

The good news is that these 12 museums don't require you to take a month off work. They can be incorporated into different itineraries, from a weekend break to a longer tour.

If you only have 3–4 days
Idea: one capital city + 1–2 museums, maximum one trip outside the city.

● Helsinki: Kiasma + Amos Rex; EMMA if desired.

● Copenhagen: CC + one day in Louisiana.

● Stockholm: Moderna Museet + Fotografiska.

● Oslo: MUNCH + Astrup Fearnley.

If you have a week
You can visit the capital and add a neighbouring city:

● Helsinki + a trip to Espoo and/or a ferry to Stockholm.

● Copenhagen + Malmö and the Øresund Bridge.

● Oslo + Henie Onstad + a day trip to the mountains or the fjord.

If you are planning a big tour
Then these museums become landmarks around which you can plan your 10-day or longer tour of Scandinavia:

● Helsinki (Kiasma/Amos Rex) → night ferry → Stockholm (Moderna/Fotografiska) → train → Copenhagen (CC + day trip to Louisiana) → train/ferry → Oslo (MUNCH/Astrup Fearnley).

This itinerary covers cities, the sea, architecture and contemporary art without the hassle of flights.

🌌 Northern art without filters: what to expect inside

It's important to be honest: Scandinavian contemporary art is not just "minimalism and beautiful chairs".

There is a lot here:

● political themes: colonial history, indigenous rights, climate change;

● physicality and vulnerability;

● works that do not try to be "pleasant" to look at.

At Louisiana, Moderna Museet, Kiasma, and MUNCH, you will easily come across exhibitions that will not make you want to rush straight to the gift shop. You need time to digest, think, and read. This is a normal part of the experience — and it seems to be the most honest aspect of the northern scene.

On the other hand, if you want something "beautiful and understandable," there are always museum parks, cafes with views, modernist collections, and design blocks. Here, you can adjust the balance manually.

🌟 The North you want to return to

Contemporary Scandinavian art is the perfect filter for the far north. Through these 12 museums, you can feel how light and shadow, anxiety and care, loneliness and solidarity are arranged here.

Finland gives a strong sense of "belonging" — from Kiasma and Amos Rex to EMMA. Norway adds the drama of the fjords and Munch. Sweden responds with the scale of its collections and photography. Denmark — with architecture and the combination of "sea + art" in Louisiana and ARoS.

If you are planning your first or next trip to the north, try to build it not only around natural attractions, but also around museums. Through them, it is easier to understand how people live, what they argue about, what they fear and what they consider beautiful.

Save this article, share it with those who are thinking about their first trip to Scandinavia, ask questions and tell us in the comments which museums in the north surprised you the most — and why.