The Sun Picture – Matts Leiderstam, Prince Eugen’s Altar Painting and Move of Kiruna Church
In August 2025, the 600-tonne wooden building Kiruna Church was relocated – a historic moment watched by people from all over the world. The move included Prince Eugen's altarpiece, a work that forms the basis of Matts Leiderstam's fascinating exhibition, which opens on 15 November at Prince Eugen's Waldemarsudde.
In a series of paintings and a large installation, artist Matts Leiderstam has delved into Prince Eugen's altarpiece, its creation and significance. The exhibition, which was first shown at the Kin Museum of Contemporary Art in Kiruna, is now being presented in Prince Eugen's studio.
Prince Eugen's altarpiece from 1912, commissioned by his friend and LKAB's first director Hjalmar Lundbohm, stands out in a church context: there are no biblical figures, crosses or other Christian symbols, but rather a symbolic, animated flat landscape bathed in warm light. An unusual motif – especially in a church so far north in Sweden.
"I see a colourful, symbolic landscape that reflects a sublime state that could be interpreted as religious, but not necessarily Christian. The trick is that he uses bright colours: yellow, blue, purple and green. They are contrasted with the dark brown tones of the church's interior. The painting also functions as a giant opening in the wall facing the landscape," says Matts Leiderstam.
Matts Leiderstam, who works as an artist and researcher, has long been involved with the history of landscape painting, the viewer's gaze and art historical structures. In his new work, he examines not only the altarpiece's creation, motifs and symbolism, but also the changes in light: how sunlight moved across the altarpiece in the church's former location – and how the new orientation in the urban landscape affects the painting's expression today.
The exhibition at Waldemarsudde includes several sketches and studies by Prince Eugen, as well as his large preliminary study for the altarpiece – the latter is now on display again in the place in Prince Eugen's studio where it was originally created. Matts Leiderstam's exhibition is complemented by an institutional addition of works with motifs from Norrland and the Arctic region from the museum's collections.
For further information, please vist Prince Eugen's Waldemarsudde's website.
