Visit
Visit
At The Nordic Watercolour Museum, you can view exhibitions from around the world, attend exciting events, experiment with colour and enjoy delicious dining. Come and experience encounters between nature, art and people.
The small coastal town of Skärhamn on the island of Tjörn is home to The Nordic Watercolour Museum. It attracts visitors from all continents – keen to experience contemporary art and the history of watercolour. The cultural offering makes this a vibrant location all year round and the museum is open throughout the seasons (except when closed for change-over of exhibitions). Thanks to its unique location right by the water’s edge, visitors to the museum can combine art experiences with a dip from the jetty. Welcome to The Nordic Watercolour Museum!
We always offer the chance for in-depth exploration of our exhibitions. Depending on the time of year, you can, for example, join a guided tour, take home a free booklet about the art or listen to an audio guide on your phone. We often produce films about our exhibitions and you can view these on both the website and YouTube.
The Nordic Watercolour Museum is a place for all people and all ages. Bring the whole family and discover everything the museum has to offer. A number of our events are aimed at families and younger visitors, and these vary depending on the period. Perhaps you are interested in painting, guided tours or a performance? In addition, the museum has plenty of spots where you can sit for a while, to draw, read or discuss what you have seen. And why not refuel with some delicious cake in the café?
Museum shop
The museum shop stocks a carefully selected range of watercolour materials, literature, crafts and Nordic design items. The assortment varies, in keeping with the current exhibition and the season. There is always an exciting selection to browse, for both adults and children.
Workshop
Both children and adults can try their hand at watercolour art in our open studio, with watercolour materials and staff on hand to offer help if needed. Themed workshops take place during school holidays, with extended opening hours and free admission. Keep an eye on our events page to check opening hours and current information.
Events at the museum
Upper floor
Upstairs, the atmosphere is usually a little calmer. Here you will find Konstpausen, an area offering space and materials to try out watercolour pencils and drawing. You will also find Thordénrummet, a varied space, most often used as an exhibition area or for a variety of activities. The upper floor also houses Experimentverkstaden, which is used for courses and as a workshop for pre-booked groups.
Restaurant & Café
The museum has its own eatery: Vatten Restaurang & Kafé. You can enjoy a bite to eat or a refreshing drink all year round. You are in for a memorable experience, amidst breathtaking scenery and served by a team that aim to deliver meals made from the best seasonal ingredients.
Vatten Restaurang & Kafé
discover the area
When the museum is closed, you can enjoy some outdoor art. The Lighthouse is a cylindrical sculpture six metres in height by artist duo Wolfgang Winter and Berthold Hörbelt. It sits on a rocky islet right beside The Nordic Watercolour Museum; at night, it is illuminated, and inside is a bench. Gunilla Hansson’s installation Singing Inhabitants runs along the deck surrounding the museum. The inscribed text tells of an atoll in the Pacific Ocean that is at risk of being swamped by rising sea levels.
The museum is located next to Gråskärsbadet, one of Tjörn’s largest bathing areas. It has a sandy beach, a diving platform, a beach volleyball court and public toilets. Above the bathing area stands Hulda, a sculpture by artist Linn Granlund owned by Tjörn Municipality.
Tjörn is also home to Sculpture in Pilane: a sculpture park and eight-hectare cultural landscape. The exhibition area is not a traditional park but a living landscape with grazing sheep, where you can wander freely or follow well-trodden paths over meadows and rocky outcrops. The rocky summits afford outstanding views of the North Sea and the Bohuslän archipelago. A 12-km hiking and cycling trail runs between The Nordic Watercolour Museum and Pilane, through one of Sweden’s most scenic cultural landscapes. More information.
Tjörn is an island filled with culture and discoveries to be made. Sundsby säteri is a mythical manor dating from the 14th century, now housing a café, shops, a kitchen garden and hiking trails. You will also find a 5-km hiking trail around the picturesque island of Dyrön, which can be reached by ferry. You can choose to get off the ferry on the car-free island of Åstol, with its boathouses and leafy alleys, as well as a bathing area with a slide. On the far horizon, barren and windswept, towers the world-famous 32-metre-high Pater Noster lighthouse from 1868 – a state-of-the-art masterpiece in its day and now an award-winning design hotel. Tjörn is also home to a number of farm shops, local handicraft studios and flea markets. The island offer a multitude of events all year round, and you can take your pick from fun, experimental and evocative experiences. Come and discover Tjörn, for an enriching encounter.