The history

2024

Vandalorum starts the Bruno Mathsson Design Residency together with Region Jönköping County.

2023

Vandalorum's garden designed by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf is being constructed and inaugurated. The project is funded by Mats Skogsfors and Vandalorum's partners: Hamrin, Liljedahl, Svenstig, with additional support from the Bertil and Britt Svensson Lighting Foundation and the Hjalmar Wicander Fund.

Vandalorum's Arts and Industry program is started in collaboration with the Hamrin Foundation. The aim is to create cooperation between art and design students and Småland industry.

2022

Vandalorum is announced the Destination of the Year in Sweden at the Elle Deco Design Awards.

2021

Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf is hired to produce masterplans for Vandalorum's outdoor environment.

2020

Vandalorum's Design School is launched.

2019

Vandalorum is awarded the Swedish Arts and Business Award presented by H.K.H. Prince Carl Philip, Honorary President of the Swedish Arts and Business Administration.

2018

Vandalorum's restaurant is named Cultural Restaurant of the Year at Restauranggalan in Stockholm.

2017

‍Vandalorum inaugurates Stage 2, which includes a new exhibition barn (Lada 3), Sven's porch and a transformation of Lada 2 into Formlada. The architect responsible for the expansion was Magnus Silfverhielm at AIX Arkitekter in Stockholm based on Vandalorum's original concept by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

2016

The construction of stage 2 of Vandalorum begins. The expansion is financed by Vandalorum's Partners: Christina Hamrin, Liljedahl Group and Svenstigs, with additional support from Boverket. Together with the Vandalorum Friends and designer Jonas Bohlin, the plank is demolished where the new exhibition barn will be built.

2012

Elna Svenle is hired as Museum Director of Vandalorum — an art historian and curator with a background at Wanås Konst in Knislinge and MoMA PS1 in New York.

2011

‍Vandalorum opens to the public in April of 2011. Poul Erik Tøjner, Director of Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, gives the opening speech.

2010

‍Vandalorum's second Partner is Liljedahlsbolagen AB, with headquarters in Värnamo. Some 60 artists, designers and architects from the Nordic countries come to Vandalorum to celebrate the beginning of the construction phase. Svenstigs Fastighets AB, based in Värnamo, becomes Vandalorum's third Partner.

2009

The Hamrin Foundation in Jönköping announces that they are joining the project as a Partner. Decisions are made to build Vandalorum in stages. Stage 1 covers approximately 3000 m² and will open in spring of 2011. Pioneers join the project by financially securing Vandalorum's operation until the opening.

2007

‍Sune Nordgren is hired as the project manager for Vandalorum, with a past as director of Malmö Konsthall, Iaspis in Stockholm, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead and Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo. The Board of Vandalorum is reconstituted. The new chairman is Jan Ove Forsell, known for his entrepreneurship and leading business positions in the region.

2004

‍Vandalorum conducts a Wegner seminar at master level with associated workshop. This will be the first practical example of Vandalorum's educational program.

2003

‍The Vandalorum Foundation forms the Real Estate Company Vandalorum, which is supposed to own the buildings. The Vandalorum roundabout is inaugurated with a sculpture by Norwegian artist Per Inge Bjørlo.

2001

”The True Story of the Vandals”, curated by Pontus Hultén, is presented at the Knäppfabriken in Värnamo. The exhibition attracts both Swedish and international attention and is the real baptism for Vandalorum's exhibition program.

2000

‍The project is moving forward with support from Värnamo Municipality, Council of Jönköping County Administrative Board, Ministry of Culture and Future Culture. The Parliament decides on support for Vandalorum. The same year, Council of Jönköping County allocates funds for the design of the building itself up to ready-to-build drawings.

1998

‍The Vandalorum Foundation is formed. Founders are the Småland Art Archive and the Småland Artists' Association. Architect Renzo Piano presents his concept and drawings for Vandalorum to the press and media in Stockholm. The Minister of Culture Marita Ulvskog gives the inagural speech and Pontus Hultén manifests his commitment to the idea.

1987

The Värnamo Municipality reserves a plot of land for the future Vandalorum at the intersection of the E4 and the road 27.

1984

‍When the business ceases in the Swed-Expo House in Värnamo, thoughts of a museum building are born. Sven Lundh runs the matter and finds a temporary solution for the Småland Art Archive, moving it to the old Knäppfabriken in Värnamo. Lundh gets Pontus Hultén interested in the matter and he in turn contacts the Italian architect Renzo Piano. They had previously collaborated on the building of the Centre Pompidou in Paris (inaugurated in 1977) which Piano designed with Richard Rogers.

1964

‍The Småland Art Archive is inaugurated by Carl Nordenfalk, Director of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. The archive's premises are located in the newly built Swed-Expo House, which was created to display current industrial exhibitions. Here art and business are combined.

1963

‍The Småland Artists' Association initiates the Småland Art Archive, a collection that will take responsibility for regional art. Sven Lundh is the first curator of the Småland Art Archive.

1958

‍The Småland Artists' Association is formed by a group of professional artists.‍‍‍‍

The history

The history

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