Art in the Stockholm metro - 16 stations to discover

Why not check out art on the Stockholm metro? In fact, the metro in our capital is said to be the world's longest art exhibition - 110 kilometres long. We have made an art tour and can recommend 16 stations that you don't want to miss.

Art in the Stockholm metro

You don't always have to visit museums to see art. Sometimes it can be enough to go to much more mundane places, such as the Stockholm metro. This month we each have a monthly pass for the SL (Stockholm Public Transport) system, so we took advantage of it. Of course, you can also buy a temporary ticket.

Many metro stations we have seen before, perhaps without thinking much about the art, and others were completely new to us. Regardless, it was exciting to delve into the decorations in this way. Looking at art in the Stockholm metro takes you on a journey, from the 1950s to the present day. It's also great to see the so-called "cave stations", where the rock shows its true shape, which is unique to the Stockholm metro.

A total of 94 of the 100 metro stations in Stockholm have been decorated with art in various ways by around 250 different artists. In addition, there are so-called Art exchangesthat is, seven metro stations where art varies in different temporary exhibitions: Fridhemsplan, Gärdet, Mariatorget, Odenplan, Skanstull, Slussen and Zinkensdamm.

Seeing all the metro stations will take time, but we've scouted out 16 stations that we can recommend.

1. Östermalmstorg (red line)

At Östermalmstorg metro station, located in the more exclusive parts of the capital, there are several different works of art. The most prominent are Siri Derkert's inked sketches, which can be seen on the walls of the platform. These include the word 'peace' written in several languages, as well as portraits of environmental and women's rights activists.

• Artist: Siri Derkert
• The theme of the art: Peace, women's rights movement and more
• Inauguration: 1965

2. stadium (red line)

Stadion is one of the so-called 'cave stations' and in the 1970s there was concern that these would be associated with the underworld and hell. The artists therefore preferred bright colours and a rainbow was painted on Stadion station. The artists also wanted to emphasise the importance of the site to Swedish sporting history - right next door is Stockholm's Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics.

• Artist: Åke Pallarp and Enno Hallek
• The theme of the art: The sky and the importance of the place in the history of Swedish sport.
• Inauguration: 1973

3. School of Engineering (red line)

The University of Technology metro station is located at the university of the same name and is themed around science and technology. There is some really cool art here. These include large figures hanging from the ceiling, symbolising Plato's five bodies: fire, water, air, earth and ether. Perhaps one of our favourite places to see art in the Stockholm metro!

• Artist: Lennart Mörk
• The theme of the art: Science and technology
• Inauguration: 1973

4. University (red line)

When you arrive at the University's metro station, you can feel the presence of scholars and higher education in the walls. The art here focuses on the UN Declaration of Human Rights and on Linnaeus' travels.

• Artist: Françoise Schein
• The theme of the art: The UN Declaration of Human Rights and Linnaeus' travels.
• Inauguration: 1975

5. Mörby centre (red line)

The metro station in Mörby centre is in bright colours: white, light grey and pink. What is exciting here is that the colours form an optical illusion. If you look from one direction you see the grey shades, and if you look from another direction it is the pink colours that emerge. The illusion is meant to illustrate the changing landscape of a journey.

• Artist: Gösta Wessel and Karin Ek
• The theme of the art: The changing landscape of a journey
• Inauguration: 1978

6. Hötorget (green line)

Hötorget is one of the earliest metro stations and looks much as stations did back then - simple and covered with square bathroom tiles. Initially, there was no art at all, but in 1998, neon streamers were installed in the ceiling, signed by Gun Cordillo. Otherwise, much of the 1950s atmosphere has been preserved, which can be considered a bit of a treat in itself.

• Artist: Gun Gordillo
• The theme of the art: Unclear
• Inauguration: 1952 (Neon loops are from 1998)

7. Rådmansgatan (green line)

At Rådmansgatan station you have to get out, past the barriers, to see the art. At the southern entrance you will find a number of works focusing on Strindberg, made by the artist Sture V Nilsson.

• Artist: Sture V Nilsson
• The theme of the art: August Strindberg
• Inauguration: 1952 (The art is from 1983)

8. Odenplan (green line/city railway)

At Odenplan station there is a glass booth where various art exhibitions are displayed, through the Art exchanges. As we passed, a man was working hard to put up or down an exhibition of textiles.

It's also interesting to continue downstairs to Citybanan, a relatively new commuter train station. There is some art here, the most eye-catching being a light installation in the ceiling above an escalator, with fluorescent lights and 400 LED lamps.

• Artist: Different, at Citybanan: David Svensson
• The theme of the art: Life Line - inspired by the heartbeat of the artist's son.
• Inauguration: 1952 (Citybanan 2017)

9. Thorildsplan (green line)

Thorildsplans metro station dates from 1952, but the art is much more recent. When Lars Arrhenius was commissioned in 2008, the requirement was for the material to be tiles. The artist was inspired by the surroundings of Thorildsplans and by video game tracks, and the result is pixelated clouds, hearts and other figures.

• Artist: Lars Arrhenius
• The theme of the art: Thorildsplans neighbourhood / video game courts
• Inauguration: 1952 (The art is from 2008)

10. Kungsträdgården (blue line)

Kungsträdgården is a station that feels almost magical. The artist, Ulrik Samuelsson, has been inspired by the baroque garden that Kungsträdgården and the Makalös Palace, which was located here until it burned down in 1825. There are many details to discover!

• Artist: Ulrik Samuelson (born 1935)
• The theme of the art: Underground garden with traces and history of the park above.
• Inauguration: 1977

11. T-Centralen (blue line)

The blue line of the T-Central is painted in calm blue colours that can be reassuring, and the arches are reminiscent of old medieval church arches. Higher up, by the lifts, you can see the silhouettes of those who once built the station.

• Artist: Per Olof Ultvedt (1935 - 2006)
• The theme of the art: Calm blue colours and the workers who built the station.
• Inauguration: 1975

12. Stadshagen (blue line)

Stadshagen station shares its name with the sports ground above, and the art on the platform is reminiscent of this. The funny thing about these images is that the subject matter changes depending on whether you look from one side or the other. One part of the platform shows summer sports and the other winter sports.

• Artist: Lasse Lindqvist (1924-1998). The ticket halls also feature concrete art by Mikael Göransson, from 2003.
• The theme of the art: Sports images related to the Stadshagen sports centre.
• Inauguration: 1975

13. Solna city centre (blue line)

The Solna Centrum station, located at the indoor centre of the same name, is a popular station to photograph, perhaps because of its intense red and green colours. The artists are Anders Åberg (who is responsible for the memories of man in Nordingrå) and Karl-Olov Björk, and the art has an unusual political theme, focusing on social issues.

• Artist: Anders Åberg and Karl-Olov Björk
• The theme of the art: Social issues in 1970s Sweden: the environment, deforestation and rural depopulation.
• Inauguration: 1975

14. Hallonbergen (blue line)

Hallonbergen, located in Sundbyberg, is a fairly young neighbourhood. It was only in the late 1960s that the first tenants moved into the Million Programme buildings here. Perhaps this is why the station has a theme that relates to childhood and children's unbridled imagination.

• Artist: Elis Eriksson and Gösta Wallmark
• The theme of the art: Childhood
• Inauguration: 1975

15. Solna Strand (blue line)

Solna Strand is a metro station in Solna, which is decorated with art by Japanese artist Takashi Naraha. This artist likes to use a yin and yang theme, and here the bright cloud cubes are a strong contrast to the dark walls.

• Artist: Takashi Naraha
• The theme of the art: Yin and yang
• Inauguration: 1985

16. Tensta (blue line)

There is much to discover at Tensta metro station! The artist Helga Henschen saw animals appearing in the shapes of the mountain and painted them. There is also a sun, green leaves and Helga Henschen's self-portrait. At the artist's request, the school children of Tensta also contribute pictures every year.

• Artist: Helga Henschen (1917-2002), together with her brother Lasse and friend Arne Sedell.
• The theme of the art: "A rose for immigrants. Solidarity. Siblinghood"
• Inauguration: 1975

Art in the Stockholm metro - more stations

There is of course even more art in the Stockholm metro. Here are a few more stations that might be worth checking out.

Red line

• St Mary's Square
• Hornpipe
• Mälarhöjden
• Alby

Green line

• Gullmarsplan
• Stureby
• Hammarbyhöjden
• Bagarmossen
• Skarpnäck

Blue line

• Town Hall
• Western forest
• Sundbyberg centre
• Rissne
• Husby
• Akalla

Bonus: Art in Stockholm's commuter train station

Art is not only found in the Stockholm metro. Region Stockholm also has art in some commuter train stations and in many hospitals. If you haven't been down to the new commuter train station at Stockholm Central Station, it's worth a look. There is some art, but also some architecture that feels exciting and almost "alive".

Art in the Stockholm metro - in the future

As the Stockholm region grows, so does the metro. The Blue Line will go to Barkarby, Nacka and Söderort. The Green Line will go to Arenastaden and the Yellow Line will go to Älvsjö. In connection with this, there will also be more art. The artists for the new stations on the Blue and Green lines were selected in a competition back in 2015, and since then they have been working together with architects and engineers to make art a part of each station.

Things to know about the Stockholm metro

• Inaugurated: 1 October 1950
• Length: 110 kilometres
• Number of stations: 100
• Oldest stations: Slussen - Södra Bantorget (Medborgarplatsen) and Ringvägen (Skanstull). Hötorget is also one of the oldest stations.
• Number of main lines: 3 (red, green and blue)
• Number of lines: 7
• Path length in a global perspective: The 22nd or 28th longest system in the world, depending on the study/source.
• Maximum speed: 70-80 km/h
• Number of travellers: More than one million on a typical weekday. Around 462 million trips per year (2019).
• Deepest metro station: Sofia will be Stockholm's deepest metro station, located about 100 metres below ground level. (The world's deepest station is Kiev, which is 105.5 metres below ground level).
• Longest escalator: Western forest (33 metres in lift height and 66 metres long) but will in the future be replaced by the Nacka (41 metres in height and 99 metres long)