Interview with Berndt Arell, Director General at the Nationalmuseum

Berndt Arell has been the director general of Nationalmuseum since 2012. He previously held chief executive positions at the Kiasma contemporary art museum in Helsinki, the Arts Council of Finland, and the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland. Mr Arell’s main areas of professional interest are Byzantine icons and late 19th-century European art. His research has focused on the various players in the art world - artists, dealers, and collectors - and their relationships and interactions. As director general of Nationalmuseum, he has been a driving force in promoting contemporary design. Last year, 2015, saw the opening of Nationalmuseum Design, the first museum venue in Stockholm dedicated to design in all its forms, from older applied art to the modern age and cutting-edge contemporary design.