Art in the Subway: Explore 14 beautiful stations

A long brown building with a sign "Moderna Museet".

Moderna Museet Stockholm, framsida, höst © Foto: Moderna Museet/Åsa Lundén

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T-Centralen subway station in Stockholm. The blue line platform. A cave painted in blue and white. People ride down an escalator to the platform.

T-Centralen, blå linjen

Stockholm's metro. Colorful glas panels at Bagarmossen's metro station.

Bagarmossens tunnelbana, perrong

Bagarmossen is on the subway&#x27;s green line no. 17.

Bagarmossen’s former subway station is to date the first and only to have been closed down and taken out of service. Where it once was situated at surface-level there now are residential buildings.The old station opened in 1958 and was the terminus for the green line no. 17 until 1994 when the subway was extended to Skarpnäck to the south. To accommodate the underground extension, the old Bagarmossen station had to be taken out of use, and a new one was built underground. And with the new station came new beautiful art; Gert Marcus screen painted glass-plates adorning the walls.&quot;The art doesn’t represent anything particularly&quot;, says art guide Marie Andersson. &quot;But it is typical of Marcus’s oeuvre to work with color denominations in almost seamless transitions&quot;.

Bagarmossen subway station

Odenplan, Stockholm. Pictured is one of the tunnels going in the Odenplan subway stations. The walls are white, the floor is a turquoise, and there are white neon lights suspended from the ceiling.

Citybanan, Odenplan

Odenplan is on the subway&#x27;s green line. You can reach it by taking the no. 17, 18 or 19 train.

Citybanan, a new track for Stockholm’s commuter trains that connects T-Centralen directly with Odenplan, was completed in 2017 with new platforms and new art by 14 artists on the stations.Hanging down from the ceiling of Odenplan’s western entrance hallway, “Life Line” is one of Citybanan&#x27;s most eye-catching pieces. The piece by David Svensson consists of jagged white lines of fluorescent light, shining brightly in the tunnels. Obviously, the 400 meters of LED-lighting serves a practical purpose, but they’re also of a personal nature explains art guide, Marie Andersson:&quot;The shape of the lights was inspired by the heartbeats of the artist’s son, as shown on the CTG-monitor during the childbirth&quot;.

Citybanan – Odenplan

Art in the subway, Stockholm. Pictured is the colorful drawings on Hallonbergen's metro station.

Hallonbergen, tunnelbana

Hallonbergen is on the subway&#x27;s blue line no. 11.

The first tenants of Hallonbergen’s typical Swedish “Millon Program”-apartment blocks moved into the suburb in 1969, but construction continued until the mid-’70s when Hallonbergen also got its own metro station.With Hallonbergen&#x27;s relatively young age in mind, it’s probably no coincidence that the artists Elis Eriksson and Gösta Wallmark were inspired by their own childhoods when decorating the subway station. Looking at the artwork can best be described as peeking into the vivid imagination of a child, with colorful drawings of fantastical beasts and imaginative contraptions.­&quot;Eriksson and Wallmark actually used their childhood drawings and drawings made by their own children&quot;, says art guide Marie Andersson. &quot;The station’s name itself [Hallonbergen literally means “Raspberry Mountains”] sounds almost like something plucked from a fairytale&quot;.

Hallonbergen subway station

Hötorget subway station in Stockholm. The walls and pillars of the station are covered in sky blue square tiles and there are bright neon light suspended from the ceiling.

Hötorget tunnelbana

Hötorget is on the subway&#x27;s green line. You can reach it by taking the no. 17, 18 or 19 train.

In 1952, Hötorget was built as the southern terminus of Stockholm’s second subway line, going northwest to the then newly built suburb of Vällingby.As with all below-surface stations from the early 1950s (other examples being Slussen, Medborgarplatsen, Skanstull, Odenplan, and Rådmansgatan), Hötorget’s walls are covered in square bathroom tiles, and when it opened up for traffic, that was pretty much it.In fact, none of the early metro stations had any public art at the time of their opening. Stockholm’s politicians were simply put indifferent to the idea of stations being anything else than functional pit-stops. They were content with having billboard ads on the walls. It wasn’t until after a decade’s worth of discussions, debates, and op-eds by the Swedish art community that art got its place in the subway. The artists pointed to Sweden’s long history of public art displays as their most important argument, explains art guide Marie Andersson.&quot;Public art is considered to be democratic art because it gives everyone the opportunity to experience good quality art in their everyday lives. And not only people who can afford to buy art or visit galleries and museums&quot;.And when T-Centralen and Gamla Stan were being planned – two new stations that would connect the southern and northern lines to one single stretch of subway tracks – a contest was organized to determine the artwork.Since then, public art has become an integral part of Stockholm’s subway. Over time all the early stations have been either redecorated or had artworks installed. And in 1998, Gun Gordillo&#x27;s bright neon-lights were installed in the ceiling of Hötorget. By that time the original interior had become classic and was left virtually untouched. The tile work, platform signs, benches – even wastebaskets – were preserved to keep the 50’s atmosphere.

Hötorget subway station

Kungsträdgården subway station in Stockholm. The floor and walls are red, green and white stone. The domed ceiling is a mosaic painting mixing abstract motifs, scientific visualizations and landscape pictures.

Kungsträdgårdens tunnelbana

Kungsträdgården is on the subway&#x27;s blue line. It can be reached by taking the no. 10 and 11 trains.

One of Stockholm’s most stunning stations is unsurprisingly also one of its most photographed: Kungsträdgården. Located in the middle of downtown Stockholm, it’s the terminus of the blue line, or at least until its southward extension opens in 2025.Kungsträdgården is one of Stockholm’s oldest public parks. The name, roughly meaning “The King’s Garden”, is derived from the area’s royal history. Between 1643 and 1825 it was the site of the majestic Makalös Palace, and a beautiful French garden. After Makalös burned down, the site was used for military exercises. Finally, in 1875, the park landed in the care of the Stockholm City Council, which in turn opened it for the public.&quot;Almost everything on the station tells the story of the site above ground&quot;, says Marie Andersson, subway art guide. &quot;The color scheme – red, white and green – is a reference to the old French formal garden and statues around the station are actually replicas of Makalös Palace’s exterior art&quot;.Another unique feature of Kungsträdgården is its fauna. The station is the only place in Northern Europe where the cave-dwelling Lessertia dentichelis-spider can be found. Presumably, the species hitched a ride on equipment and machines traveling from Southern Europe when the station was being built.&quot;Nobody knows exactly how they ended up here&quot;, continues Marie Andersson. &quot;But they seem to be thriving. I saw one just yesterday, as a matter of fact. In 2016 scientists also discovered a previously unknown fungus on the station walls with a unique DNA-structure&quot;.

Kungsträdgården subway station

Mörby centrum subway station in Stockholm. The station is panted in bright colors and adorned in colorful tiles.

Mörby centrum tunnebana

Mörby Centrum is on the subway&#x27;s red line no. 14

At first glance, Mörby Centrum’s station art might seem unassuming. Except for the colorful tilework embedded in the bedrock, the color scheme is light and almost subdued. But as art guide Marie Andersson explains it, the color is actually an optical illusion.&quot;The walls actually change color depending on where you stand on the platform. From one end the room appears white with a light shade of pink, and from the other white and grayish-green&quot;. The effect was achieved by first lighting the wall and painting its shadows from one side, and then from the other. The artists, Gösta Wessel and Karin Ek wanted to emphasize the changing landscape on a journey, not only on the platform itself but more importantly from your starting point to your destination.

Mörby Centrum subway station

Östermalmstorg’s subway station in Stockholm. Black walls are covered in white paint, with the art blasted into the walls to give a sketchy, hand drawn impression. The sketches are by Siri Derkert and depict both human figures and abstract shapes.

Östermalmstorg tunnelbana

Östermalmstorg is on the subway&#x27;s red line. It can be reached by taking the no. 13 and 14 trains.

Situated approximately 23 meters below sea level (roughly 75 feet), Östermalmstorg is the third deepest subway station in Stockholm’s metro system. The station, completed in 1965, lies in the heart of the city’s poshest and most expensive boroughs; Östermalm.Although the station displays several works of art by different artists, the centerpiece is Siri Derkert’s sketches adorning the station walls. The pictures blasted into pitch-black rock walls covered in white concrete, are both playful and personal. Derkert was 77 years old when the station opened and the station’s art was in a sense a summary of her extraordinary body of work.&quot;The central themes in her art are all represented on the walls&quot;, says art guide Marie Andersson. &quot;When walking around the station you will see the word “peace” written in different languages, you will see portraits of people that had been working for the environment and with women’s rights issues&quot;.Derkert’s involvement in the women’s rights movement is evident in the historical figures depicted on the walls. Many are women from the Fogelstad group, a women’s art collective which Derkert was a member of.

Östermalmstorg subway station

Solna centrum subway station in Stockholm. The station’s walls are painted green, reminiscent of a forest, and the ceiling is red like a summer’s sunset.

Solna Centrum tunnelbana

Solna Centrum is on the subway&#x27;s blue line no. 11.

The station of Solna Centrum opened with the first arm of the blue line in 1975. The bright green and red landscape - the green being the forest and the red an evening sun setting behind the treetops - is both timeless in its beauty, but also something that few other stations artwork is; political.After completing the walls artists Karl-Olov Björk and Anders Åberg felt they were lacking. So they continued adding various details and scenes to the forest.&quot;Originally the walls were supposed to be only green and red&quot;, explains art guide Marie Andersson. &quot;So the rest of the paintings were pretty much improvised. This resulted in pictures that illustrated some of the most debated societal topics in 70’s era Sweden; the environment, deforestation, and the depopulation of rural areas&quot;.

Solna Centrum subway station

Solna strand subway station in Stockholm. The station’s walls and ceiling are painted in dark colors. Big cubes, painted blue with white clouds, are protruding from the walls, ceiling and floor.

Solna strands tunnelbana

Solna Strand is on the subway&#x27;s blue line no. 10.

The contrast between the heavenly cubes – jutting out from the ceiling and platform at Solna Strand – and the dark cave, is characteristic of Takashi Naraha’s art. The Japanese artist often uses a yin-and-yang-theme in his work, explains art guide Marie Andersson.&quot;It’s the foundation of his pieces, there’s often a balance between light and darkness. And in the way that the platform’s cubes mirror the open sky above ground, the black cube just outside the station entrance relates to the dark cave below ground&quot;.

Solna Strand subway station

Stadion subway station in Stockholm. Pictured is a large rainbow against a light blue background, painted on the stations ceiling.

Stadions tunnelbana

Stadion is on the subway&#x27;s red line no. 14

Each year Östermalms IP serves as the main festival area for the Stockholm Pride festival. By coincidence, the nearby subway station (Stadion) happens to have a beautiful rainbow in vivid colors painted against the bright blue of the station&#x27;s cave walls to welcome festival-goers. The station is one of Stockholm’s first cave stations, a controversial subject when it was built in 1973, explains art guide Marie Andersson. &quot;There were actual fears that people would associate these cave stations with the netherworld and other nasty places. So the bright blue and the rainbow serves as a reminder that there is a sky not far above&quot;.The station’s artists, Åke Pallarp and Enno Hallek, not only wanted to bring the sky underground but also remind passengers of Stadion’s significance in sports history. Close by is The Stockholm Olympic Stadium, the site for the 1912 Olympics, and each year between 1913 and 1965 the Swedish bandy finals. Today, Stadion is still one of Stockholm’s great arenas and regularly hosts sports events and concerts.

Stadion subway station

T-Centralen subway station in Stockholm

T-Centralen can be reached by all subway trains in Stockholm.

T-Centralen, the nexus of Stockholm’s subway system, opened up for traffic in 1957 and was the first station to feature artwork. The blue line-platform, quite literally “the blue platform” is hands down one of the public transport system’s most recognizable places. But it didn’t open until 1975 when the blue line to Hjulsta was completed.Painting a platform on the subway’s blue line almost entirely in, well… blue might seem a little on the nose. Art guide Marie Andersson theorizes that the artist Per Olof Ultvedt not only chose the blue shades based on their aesthetic values but also their relaxing effect.&quot;­I think Per Olof Ultvedt wanted to create a calming atmosphere because this is a station where people are in a hurry. They are changing trains to another metro line or another commuter train. I suppose the idea was that the blue color together with the simple motifs – stylized flowers and leaf creepers – gives passengers pause and a chance to clear their mind&quot;.

T-Centralen subway station

Tekniska högskolan subway station in Stockholm. The walls are painted dark blue –and gray. The station’s art is inspired by scientific advances, with sculptures representing important scientific milestones. Pictured is a glass polyhedral, suspended from the ceiling,that represents one of the five elements.

Tekniska högskolan tunnelbana

Tekniska högskolan is on the subway&#x27;s red line no. 14

Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) was founded in 1827 and has since then had famous alumni like Christer Fuglesang, Dolph Lundgren, and Anette Scheibe pass its exams. In 1973 Tekniska Högskolan finally got its own subway station, to help students and professors get to their classes.Unsurprisingly, the award-winning station (with art by Lennart Mörk) is a celebration of scientific advances and discoveries. The most eye-catching are probably the five regular polyhedra located on the platform, each one representing one of Plato’s five elements: fire, water, air, earth, and ether.– You’ll also find representations of Copernican heliocentrism, Polhem’s mechanical alphabet, Newton’s three laws of motion, and da Vinci’s attempts at creating a flying machine, explains art guide, Marie Andersson.

Tekniska Högskolan subway station

Tensta subway station in Stockholm. A large yellow sun is painted on the station’s white walls. There is also cursive writing in Swedish.

Tensta tunnelbana

Tensta is on the subway&#x27;s blue line no. 10.

The Suburb of Tensta was built between 1966 and 1972 to accommodate a Stockholm that was growing and in need of more residential housing. Although it was part of the building plans from the beginning, the station of Tensta wasn’t ready until 1975.Artist Helga Henschen, together with Arne Sedell and her brother Lars, spent over a year decorating the station’s platform with a colorful display of animal sculptures and stylized leaves against a bright white wall. Since Tensta has always had a majority of residents who immigrated to Sweden, the artists wanted the station to feel welcoming no matter where your roots are, explains art guide Marie Andersson.&quot;The various pieces are called “A rose for the immigrants”, “Solidarity”, “Kinship”. The words written around the station are a celebration of all the people from different cultures living in Tensta&quot;.

Tensta subway station

Thorildplan’s subway station in Stockholm. The station is above ground and its art inspired by ‘80s video games. Pictured is the tilework that is reminiscent of pixelated clouds and mushrooms in Super Mario Bros.

Thorlidsplans tunnelbana

Thorildsplan is on the subway&#x27;s green line. You can reach it by taking the no. 17, 18 or 19 train.

Thorildsplan is one of only three street-level surface stations in downtown Stockholm. The station was built in 1952, but the pixelated artwork by Lars Arrhenius is a more recent addition. Arrhenius was commissioned to create new art in 2008, the caveat being that it had to be tile work. Otherwise, he had total creative freedom, but considering his background the material was a perfect fit.While planning his work, he drew inspiration from Thorildplan’s surroundings. The street crossings, rondos, elevated sidewalks, elevators, and stairs reminded him of intricate video game levels. Clearly, this also resulted in a work that borrows from 8-bit aesthetics - a source of inspiration that runs through his whole body of work - with pixelated clouds, mushroom power-ups, and projectiles.&quot;SL and Konstrådet [Stockholm Public Transport and the Stockholm Art Council; the two governing bodies over the subway and public art of Stockholm respectively] only chose art based on the artist’s submissions&quot;, explains art guide Marie Andersson. &quot;They never bring suggestions to the table beforehand. And besides, there’s no rule that says that subway art must have a literal connection to a station. Sure, Kungsträdgården’s station art is a mirror of the station’s name. But the maritime-themed Fridhemsplan on the other hand obviously doesn’t depict what’s above ground&quot;.

Thorildsplan subway station

The Stockholm subway system is said to be the world's longest art exhibit - 110 kilometers long. Traveling by subway is like traveling through an exciting story that extends from the artistic pioneers of the 1950s to the art experiments of today.

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