In conjunction with the exhibitions we have views and program activities, and often there is the opportunity to meet the artists at art openings and lectures. With exhibitions and programs, we want to stimulate involvement in current contemporary issues – both societal as existential. Create appointments and deepen the experience of our visitors and work to make contemporary art accessible to all.

For us it is especially important to encourage interest in contemporary art among children and young people. The schools are therefore offered the opportunity to experience contemporary art expressions and issues in an inclusive and engaging way in our educational programs and through workshops.

The Contemporary Art Gallery began operating in Bohusläns museum in 1992. A donation from Percy Barnevik, industrialist and philanthropist from Uddevalla, made the advent of the current art gallery possible. It was designed by Alexis Pontvik and inaugurated in 2002. On the basis of the “white cube” has Pontvik created a bright and functional exhibition space for art that has attracted attention in architectural circles. In 2015, the interior has been complemented with four benches specially designed and manufactured by furniture workshop in Gothenburg.

Since 2014 the Contemporary Art Gallery has been part of the project AiR (Artists in Residens) funded by the region of Västra Götaland as an opportunity for Art institutions in the region to work with international artists and Projects.

One of the themes throughout the years has been the unique possibility for the contemporary Art Gallery at Bohusläns museum to explore the interaction between contemporary artists and the museum collections. This has been presented in several exhibitions.

Collection online

The collection online gives public access at all times to our collections. We provide online access to more than 126,000 photos with motifs related to everyday life in Bohuslän on the west coast of Sweden – fishing, seafaring, boatbuilding, farming, family, portraits, buildings in cities and small fishing villages. You also got access to 10,500 cultural objects and pieces of art.

Archives and Library

Are you a researcher? Are you interested in genealogy or local history? Are you looking for a book on Bohuslän or would you like to view old photographs? Here at the Museum we have an extensive archive and a well-stocked reference library. You are invited to take part in our shared cultural heritage. The Bohuslän Museum archives exists to preserve the museum’s documents and make these searchable both for museum staff and for members of the public. Our cultural heritage is open and available to anyone who wishes to access it.

The official archive

This archive contains documents relating to previous and current museum activities. The files in the official archive date back to 1862. The activities documented include preservation of buildings, archaeology, exhibitions, and ethnological records.

Private archives

Archives from private individuals, farm archives and archives of societies and businesses. These files have largely been donated by private individuals. The archives contain around 450 creators and include diaries, stories and letters. Amongst the professions represented are seamen, artists, merchants, farmers, and female factory workers. The archives also contain maps, boat designs, and documentation from eg shipyards.

Some documents in the archive are confidential and therefore are not available to researchers or others.

The topographical archive

This archive consists mainly of maps, drawing and archive files on cultural environments, properties and archaeological activities.

The picture archive

Around 150,000 images in our photographic collection are now available for searching via DigitaltMuseum.  DigitaltMuseum also allows users to search our Collections.

Library

We also maintain a library of around 27,000 volumes. This is a reference library that contains literature on history, arts, ethnology, and for the greater part, literature on the local history of Bohuslän.

Please feel free to make an appointment to view the contents of our library. Our library is searchable via Libris.

For genealogists

The museum library has a research desk with access to information materials and literature on genealogy, suggested links etc. You may also book an appointment to use our genealogy computer which has several searchable databases and programmes, such as Sveriges  befolkning [Sweden’s population] 1880, 1890, 1900, 1970, 1980, 1990, Sveriges Dödbok [Sweden’s Book of Deaths], Begravda i Sverige [Swedish Burials], Emigranten Populär [The Emigrant Popular], SVAR [Riksarkivet, Digital Research Room] och Arkiv Digital [Digital Archive]. The genealogy computer can be booked for 2 hours at the time, free of charge.

We collaborate with Bohusläns Föreningsarkiv [Bohuslän Society Archives] with which we share our premises. In this archive you will find files from around 1,700 societies dating from the mid-19th century until the present day. The societies represented include trade unions, temperance, sports, politics, and other societies. A substantial proportion of the files relate to trade unions linked to the Bohuslän quarrying industry.

Bohusläns Föreningsarkiv also maintains a newspaper archive with microfilm  copies of daily newspapers with a Bohuslän connection, as well as a database containing approximately 90,000 registered article titles.