High Art, Low Cost / Budget-Friendly Options

The current inflation has forced many to reassess what’s important. Is it really worth the money to go to a fancy restaurant,  have a drink at the new natural wine bar, or buy a new outfit for the up-coming event? Why not eat and drink at home, and choose something that’s already in the closet. But some things you don’t want to compromise. Exploring the art world and seeing the world through the lens of art is a way of developing your mind. There are ways to do that, while avoiding the cost of expensive art museums. We have selected four art museums, galleries, and spaces, with little or no admission fee. 

Stockholm Metro

For centuries, fine art has been the symbol of exclusivity and wealth. When the world’s first art museum, Musei Capitolini in Rome, opened their doors to the public in 1734 under the rule of Clement XII, this was the first time ever that art was not utilised as a symbol of power and riches,but celebrated primarily for its beauty and cultural significance. This brief and partial summary of the history of fine art helps to explain why still today, there exists a general reverence for the art world. 

Artists are often thought of as belonging to a different dimension, existing in a blurred area between reality and something else, more intangible and abstract. Art, when at its best, adds something to the space it exists in. In the past, art was thought to elevate the surroundings and function as a symbol of prosperity. Today, though still often decorative, art is also believed to have the potential to open doors to other ways of thinking, feeling or seeing.

Public transportation is generally designed for efficiency, not immersive cultural experiences. It is about going from A to B in an uncomplicated, often inexpensive way.The Stockholm metro system was planned according to a slightly different approach. 

In 1928, social-democratic leader Per Albin Hansson coined the concept “folkhemmet”, loosely translated as “the people’s home”. By this, he wanted to underscore that Sweden was not only a nation to its citizens, but should also be considered a home to those who lived there. This led to the development of stronger infrastructure and investments in higher living standards. In 1950, the first metro line in Stockholm opened, but without artistic decoration. The lack of art in these new public spaces led to an intense media debate on the role of art in the Swedish “people’s home”. It was eventually decided that art should have a prominent place in the metro, and ever since, and for more than 60 years, more than 150 artists have been invited to share their work with commuters in the metro.

The Stockholm metro is often referred to as the world’s longest art exhibition. 

The system stretches over 110 kilometres, and travellers can follow the historical developments in art as they go from one station to another, from the pacifist messages of the 1950s, made by Siri Derkert for the Östermalms torg-station, via the Postmodern times of the 1980s (most significantly displayed at centrally located Kungsträdgården) to today’s more experimental and exploratory period, as displayed at the new commuter train stations Odenplan and T-centralen.

Approximately 90 out of a total 100 stations have incorporated artworks. The green line was the first to open, in the 1950s, and has many stations above ground, most designed by Peter Celsing. At the time, he was the head architect for Stockholms Spårvägar, but later he became known as one of the foremost Modernist architects in Sweden, having designed buildings such as Kulturhuset, Riksbanken and Filmhuset, all in central Stockholm. In the 1960s, the red line was constructed, with most stations placed underground. 

In the 1970s, many stations were designed to resemble grottos, complete with organically shaped walls. Typical for these stations, many of which are placed along the blue line, was that they were designed as total artworks, where artists would work for a long time, in close collaboration with architects and technicians. 

During the 1990s, many of the older stations underwent extensive renovations, during which additional artworks were added. As more stations are being added to the system, more art is being made accessible to everyone using the underground part of the Stockholm public transportation system.

Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan

Fondazione Pirelli HangarBicocca is not located in the most attractive area of Milan, but it’s well worth the trip. A short walk from the metro stop Ponale, the art foundation is in what used to be one of the most important industrial centres of Italy. 

The area was developed already in the early 20th century, when several main companies moved their manufacturing to this site, a few kilometres from the city. For several decades, in a 200,000 m2 large factory, the company Breda would produce everything from steam locomotives to aeroplanes. The buildings that now house Pirelli HangarBicocca were part of this vast complex. 

In the 1980s, the industrial area began to be decommissioned. In the coming decades, the area was neglected. In 2004, this changed, as it was bought by Prelios (the former Pirelli RE), which decided to turn it into an exhibition space for contemporary art.

Visiting Pirelli HangarBicocca is an experience unlike any other, not least due to the sheer size of the area. It is almost like a small town (and similar to visiting a town, it’s admission-free). 

By the entrance is one of the site’s permanent installations, Fausto Melotti’s sculpture “La Sequenza”. On site since 2010, Melotti’s work functions as a symbolic threshold between the world outside and the one inside the foundation, though it is also decidedly “anti-monumental”, in line with his interest in anti-celebratory sculptures. 

Many visitors come to see the permanent, site-specific installation by Anselm Kiefer, “The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004–2015”. The name refers to the celestial palaces described in the Hebrew treatise Sefer hecholot(“Book of Palaces”), from approximately the 5th century. This mystical book describes the symbolic path of spiritual initiation that anyone who desires to become closer with God must undertake. 

The exhibition’s focus point are seven towers, each of which weighs 90 tons and rises to heights varying between 13 and 19 metres. They are built in reinforced concrete, using parts from old shipping containers as cast. 

In between the different levels of cement, Kiefer has inserted lead books and wedges, as lead is traditionally considered the material of melancholy. This is because the towers – and the installation in its entirety – represent the ruins of Western civilization after the Second World War, as well as symbolising a potentially devastated future, if we continue on our current trajectory. 

Since 2015, the seven cement towers have been joined by five large canvases. The five paintings enhance the subject matter of the installation – man’s attempt to ascend to the divine, and an exploration of man’s relationship with nature. In addition to the permanent installations, there are also temporary exhibitions, the restaurant Iuta Bistrot, and a bookshop. 

All worth a visit.

Tate Britain, London

Tate Britain is part of the Tate network of galleries in England, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St. Ives. Opened in 1897, Tate Britain is the oldest gallery in the network. 

It houses a substantial collection of the art of the United Kingdom since Tudor times, and is the most compressive collection of its kind in the world. 

It’s particularly known for its large holdings of the works of William Turner, who bequeathed all his own collection to the nation. His imagination was sparked by shipwrecks, fires, and natural phenomena such as sunlight, storm, rain, and fog. He was also fascinated by the violent power of the sea (as seen in Dawn after the Wreck).

Tate Britain is one of the largest museums in the country and is ranked 50th on the list of most-visited art museums in the world. The gallery is on Millbank, on the site of the former Millbank Prison. 

Even though it was formerly known as the National Gallery of British Art, it was commonly known as Tate Gallery, after its founder Sir Henry Tate. In 1932, it officially adopted that name. 

Before 2000, the gallery housed and displayed both British and modern collections, but the launch of Tate Modern saw Tate’s modern collections move there, while the old Millbank gallery became dedicated to the display of historical and contemporary art. 

The front part of the building was designed by Sidney R. J. Smith, with a classical portico and dome behind. The central sculpture gallery was designed by John Russell Pope. 

The works by Turner are housed in the Clore Gallery, built in 1987 and considered an important example of Postmodern architecture. 

The main display spaces show a permanent collection of historic British art, as well as contemporary work. It has rooms dedicated to works by one artist, such as Tracey Emin, John Latham, Sam Taylor Wood, and Tacita Dean. 

Tate Britain is the home of the annual Turner Prize exhibition, featuring four artists selected by a jury chaired by the director of Tate Britain. 

Musée d’art Moderne, Paris

Museums are built to house collective memories. Through the objects in their archives, they tell the story of the past.  Sometimes, the aim of a museum has been ideological; to highlight (or even subvert) the story of a period in a nation’s past to make it appear more glorious, while remaining silent about other subject matters. At other times, objects have appeared more randomly in the archives, having been donated by various benefactors throughout the years. Then there are museums dedicated to the exploration of art. 

For centuries, artists and craftsmen were the same, and fine art was defined by the quality of the craftsmanship. With the advent of modernity, this changed. Art was no longer as much about skills as it was about conceptual thinking. To be avant garde in the modern era was to push conceptual boundaries, not refining the strokes of your brush. Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris captures this pivotal shift in modern art, showcasing the impact of the machine age on the art world. It's a fascinating place, as it offers an exploration of modernist aesthetics. 

Hyphenated MAM Paris, it is a major municipal museum, dedicated to modern and contemporary art of the 20th and 21st centuries, including monumental murals by Raoul Dufy, Gaston Suisse, and Henri Matisse. 

The museum is in the eastern part of the Palais de Tokyo, and the entire building was constructed for the International Exhibition of Art and Technology of 1937. The style of the compound reflected the fascist thoughts that defined this decade, foreshadowing the war that was to break out, only two years later. At the beginning of the exhibition period, only two pavilions had been completed, Nazi Germany’s and the Soviet Union’s, placed facing one another, as two nations ready to go into combat.