The Picasso sculpture

One of the worlds largest Picasso sculptures is located in Kristinehamn.

How did the world’s largest freestanding Picasso sculpture end up in Kristinehamn? It all started on a dusty country road in France. In the early 1960s, Kristinehamn-born artist Bengt Olson happened to meet Norwegian painter, sculptor, and photographer Carl Nesjar, who had begun experimenting with a new concrete material. Pablo Picasso, fascinated by the artistic potential of concrete, had started collaborating with Nesjar and was creating a series of sculptures and paintings called “Les Dames des Mougins,” inspired by his last wife, Jacqueline.

The sculptures were intended to be produced on a grand scale, and Nesjar mentioned that one of them could be realized for 150,000 SEK. But there was no time to waste! New York was expected to submit a bid soon. Realizing this was a unique opportunity, Bengt Olson returned home and convinced the local politicians in Kristinehamn to take the chance. To win Picasso over, the idea of locating the sculpture in Kristinehamn was presented to him with the help of photographs, pictures and traditional Swedish folk music, to set the right atmosphere by the lake. The donation letter came in the form of a photograph of the sculpture’s model placed at Strandudden peninsula. On the photo, Picasso had written, “Oui, Picasso 7.7 1964.”

On Midsummer’s Eve 1965, the 15-meter-tall sculpture was inaugurated in a grand celebration by the Swedish author Bo Setterlind. While Picasso followed Carl Nesjar’s work through film recordings, he never got to see the sculpture in person. However, many others have since then, and it’s now Kristinehamn’s most popular tourist attraction.

Facts about the sculpture

• The monumental sculpture is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
• The pillar was cast on-site using a slip-form technique.
• It’s made from natural concrete, where a base layer of black granite stones from Larvik was filled with liquid white concrete.
• Carl Nesjar sandblasted the artistic pattern into the surface, ensuring it will never fade.
• The surface is so durable that it’s said to last for 2,000 years.

Details:

• Inaugurated: 1965
• Height: 15 meters
• Weight: 35 tons
• Pillar diameter: 1.65 meters
• Span: 6×4 meters
• One wing weighs 8 tons
• Picasso donated 16 unique sculptures to cities worldwide, two of which are in Sweden — Kristinehamn and Halmstad.

Walk towards the view point and you’ll find an exhibition about the Picasso sculpture and photos from its construction along the way.

60 Years in 2025

In 2025, the sculpture will celebrate its 60th anniversary. It’s starting to show its age, and the most important task now is cleaning and restoring Jacqueline to ensure her longevity. The sculpture was thoroughly cleaned in autumn 2024 and now shines again. However, it’s in great need of further restoration as small pieces of stone and concrete may loosen. The next stage of restoration is scheduled for August 2025.

Read more about what to see and do in the Picasso area.

Guided tours of the Picasso sculpture can be booked in English – read more.