Explore Umeå's museums
In Umeå there are many museums with exciting exhibitions. Here we have listed a selection for you to discover. Museums that are open all year round or you can make a day trip to one of the smaller museums that are open during the summer
Bildmuseet
One of the country’s most interesting scenes for international contemporary art. A place where the whole family can enjoy art, exhibitions and events – always free of charge. Besides continuously adding new exhibitions, this beautiful museum building offers a fantastic view of the river and the city. Art books, exhibition catalogues, magazines, posters, postcards and other image souvenirs can be found in the museum shop.
Current exhibitions:
Swedish Picture Book of the year / The Excursion (until October 19).
Shubigi Rao / Pulp I-IV (until January 11 2026).
Belkis Ayón / Mytologier (May 23 - November 23)
Konsthögskolan Umeå / Infinite Proposals (May 23 - August 17)
Västerbottens museum
Family-friendly museum with exhibitions and programs on cultural history, art, textiles and photography. At the museum there is a museum shop and a cosy café. Here you can also see the world’s oldest ski – older than the pyramids of Egypt. During the summer there is daily activities at the open-air museum Gammlia.
Current exhibitions
Waterways (until September 14).
Things Change Anyway: Pointing, Touching (until September 25).
Kalle Hedberg (until September 28).
The Field ethnologist - Depicting the gray (until December 31).
Permanent exhibitions
Port City of Umeå, Textiles, Building Conservation,
Umeå - Memories and future, Stone, Bronze & Iron, Reflections.
More about current exhibitions
Guitars – The Museum
The brothers Åhdén from Umeå have one of the world’s largest privately owned collections of electric guitars, basses, amplifiers and musical props, all of which make up the basis of an experience-based exhibition.
Guest Exhibitions During the Summer & Autumn:
Lego Eurovision by Alexandro Kröger – a unique exhibition
Alexandro Kröger, devoted Eurovision fan and LEGO artist from Umeå, recreates all the entries from this year’s competition in LEGO.
A Day in the Touring Life of Fleetwood Mac by Curt Dahlgren
Photographer Curt Dahlgren's photos from a day in March 1969 when Fleetwood Mac visited Umeå.
The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 16:00, with guided tours at 13:00 and 15:00.
Kvinnohistoriskt museum - The Museum of Women's History
At the Väven cultural centre you can find the Museum of Women’s History – the first of its kind in Sweden. The museum works in a norm critical way which puts women at the center of the narrative. The museum shop offers crafts, ceramics, mugs, posters and other fun stuff focusing on beliefs about gender and power, identity and history.
Current exhibition
In the secret service of the realm (until September 20).
Bukhoor - The path of incense (until January 24, 2026).
Umedalens skulpturpark
One of Northern Europe’s foremost sculpture collections with some 40 works by artists such as Tony Cragg, Louise Bourgeois, Anthony Gormley, Jaume Plensa and Anish Kapoor. Map to the sculpture park is available in a white box in the park, next to restaurant Bistro Le Garage. GSA Gallery offers guided tours, they must be pre-booked. The park is open all year round, around the clock with free admittance.