Artistic showcase in a barn by the sea

Berth, Pär and Lars Nilsson have run and developed Gullmarstrand Hotel and Conference for 30 years. They focus heavily on contemplation and creativity, offering soothing treatments and experiences for body and soul at the hotel's new spa, set on poles in the water. Perhaps not that unusual in an industry where many operators offer spa treatments and yoga in naturally beautiful surroundings. However, there are few establishments that also invest in their very own art hall.
  
A short walk south of the hotel is the brothers' beautiful art hall, Saltarvet. The wooden building was designed by the architect Gert Wingårdh, altered and extended several times to make room for Lena Cronqvist's private collection, as well as sculptures and paintings by contemporary artists such as Ernst Billgren, Karin Mamma Andersson, Berit Lindfeldt and Karin Wikström. Art critic, Mårten Castenfors, is the artistic leader of Saltarvet, and each summer the venue showcases new solo exhibitions, complementing the permanent collection.

Lena Cronqvist is a member of Saltarvet's art committee, and has made 300 of her own private works available, as she prefers for her collection to be kept in a living place and not in a museum. This is a good description of Saltarvet - a living place, not another museum.
  
Berth Nilsson, explains: "The hall will hold a special jubilee exhibition this summer, entitled 'Welcome Back', which is a greeting to a number of the interesting personalities we have had the pleasure to work with.
 
The idea is that 24 of the renowned artists who have exhibited their works at Saltarvet over the years, will contribute to the exhibition, with one new piece of work each. Apart from the names we mentioned earlier, the list also includes well-known individuals such as Jockum Nordström, Linn Fernström, Jan Håfström, Dan Wolgers and Anna Bokström."
 
Right now, I don't have the faintest idea of what we will receive. It could be anything from oil paintings and sculptures to photos, mixed materials, and china. They are an impressively broad range of artists, and that's what makes it so exciting, as we celebrate our first decade."
 
This article comes from the publication West Side Stories