Millesgården

Milles­gården – an amazing art experience on Lidingö

Millesgården is one of Stockholm’s most photogenic museums. In a magical atmosphere on the island Lidingö, characterized by Carl Milles’ spirit, visitors get an art experience beyond all comparison.

Carl and Olga Milles had the vision to create a home in the name of art. It took about 30 years to build, but 80 years later, the beautiful Millesgården on Lidingö, located east of Stockholm, remains for the public to view.

Millesgården’s main building is called The Artist Home. Here, the Milles couple lived and worked for 20 years. In The Large Studio, you get an insight into Carl Milles’ work with the sculptures. Among other things, you can see his preparatory work in plaster.

In the late 1920s, the Milles’ old kitchen became an exhibition room called The Red Room. The living room nowadays goes under the name The Music Room, and here you’ll find a unique art collection of paintings, sculptures, and artistic work from all over Europe. As his career progressed, Carl got the financial opportunity to collect antiques from all over the world. His great interest in the ancients laid the foundation for The Antique Collection.

Carl’s wife Olga Milles and his big sister Ruth primarily used The Monk Cell as their studio. Through well-preserved photographs and letters, the visitor gets a deeper knowledge about these two artists. The exhibition consists of paintings, drawings, and sculptures created by the Milles women.

The Gallery is an exhibition room during the day but can be converted into a dining room in the evening. The Milles family collection of Swedish glass, tin, and ceramics is preserved in The Small Breakfast room.

In the beautiful Sculpture Park, you can enjoy extraordinary architecture and rich vegetation. The Upper Terrace is enclosed by buildings with a view of the seaside and it’s the oldest part of the facility. Here you can find parts of different demolition houses in the form of pillars and columns bought by Carl Milles. You can also view the sculptures The Little Triton, The Archer, A la belle étoile, The Dancing Girls, The Little Naiad, The Susanna Fountain, William Penn with angel, and a large number of Carl Milles’ portraits.

In The Studio Garden, which was originally a kitchen garden, visitors can view the sculptures The Wings and The Eagle. In The Middle Terrace, there’s the beautiful fountain with the goddess of love Venus, as well as the sculptures Sun Singer, Wild Boar, Sven Hedin, and Spirit of Transportation.

Little Austria/Olga’s Terrace is inspired by the patrons of arts and sciences, and here you’ll find The Aganippe fountain and the sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi. The Lower Terrace is a large and open paved square with tinkling fountains inspired by the Italian piazza and here are, for example, the sculptures The Astronomer, Europe and the Bull, Poseidon, The Hand of God, Angel Musicians, Man and Pegasus, and Fountain of Faith.

Millesgården produces many of the temporary exhibitions themselves, and exhibit in the art gallery. In some cases, artworks come from other museums. A tip to enhance your visit is to download the museum’s app. In the app, you’ll find a free audio guide for the various tours.

In one of the sculpture park’s terraces is Millesgården Lanthandel. This café and restaurant are run by the three chefs Anders Elfving, John Modig, and Johan Oster, and here you can enjoy a range of locally produced organic food. All food is made from scratch and carefully adapted to the season, which means that the menu is varied and versatile. The restaurant and terrace can be booked for private parties on afternoons and evenings. If you can’t come to the restaurant, they also offer catering. In the store, you can also buy a selection of delicacies and take home with you.

If you want to buy a miniature of Milles’ artwork, there’s the Millesgården gift shop. If you are not able to carry home what you bought, you can instead order the artwork in the museum’s webshop and have it delivered to your door.

Visit the exhibition, the artist’s home, the antique collection, and the sculpture park. Enjoy a nice lunch at the café or shop at the museum’s gift shop. Millesgården, the crown jewel of Lidingö, has everything you could ever wish for to get an unforgettable cultural experience.