Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Since 1958, Moderna Museet has housed Sweden’s largest collection of international and Swedish modern and contemporary art. Over time, priorities for acquisitions have shifted and gender representation, cultural diversity as well as critical reflections on the past have become increasingly important to museums. Yet, academia often lacks a nuanced evaluation of these changes from multiple perspectives. This thesis examines the 21st-century collecting strategies and policy development of Moderna Museet, with a focus on diversity and representation, using intersectional theory and queer studies. Through both quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistics, archival research, discourse analysis, institutional ethnography and interviews with five curators, this study reveals how acquisition policies align with the museum’s aim to diversify its Eurocentric and North American-oriented collection. Fisher’s exact (statistical) test shows differences between the Swedish and international collections, and significant gender disparities between donated and purchased artists, indicating a structural unequal pattern regarding donations. Gender and nationality emerge as disciplinary parameters and social constructions for artist registration within the museum database. The key results underscore the slow, systemic change at Moderna Museet, influenced by power structures, external factors, and the museum’s institutional history. In contrast to the 1990s, diversity in the 21st century is continually negotiated and pursued performatively and discursively, rather than implemented through a goal-oriented policy.