As director of museums at the City of Gothenburg in Sweden, Britta Söderqvist is responsible for a group of acclaimed museums that include the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Röhsska Museum of Design & Craft, Museum of Gothenburg and Maritime Museum & Aquarium, and Göteborgs Konsthall.
This is the largest local authority museum service in Sweden. Its collections are some of the largest in the country and range from archaeology to contemporary art.
In 2022, the Maritime Museum and Aquarium in Gothenburg reopened following an extensive refurbishment project which included the addition of one of the largest aquariums in Europe for living corals.
“Britta has long been a champion for community-led, coproduced museums and has carried the flag for audience-led interpretation in her museums,” says one person who nominated Söderqvist. “In 2024 under her leadership, Gothenburg Museum and Aquarium was named Swedish Museum of the Year. Her leadership has ensured that Gothenburg Museums have become one of the leading city museum organisations in Europe.”
The Swedish Museums Association and the Swedish ICOM’s annual Museum of the Year award is presented to institutions that demonstrate innovative and community-based activities of the highest quality.
The Maritime Museum and Aquarium was honoured for its comprehensive and well-planned multi-year transformation project. This rebuilt the building, the content, and the entire museum experience to inspire visitors to play an active role in the preservation of our history, oceans, and planet.
Söderqvist is chair of Kulturbryggan, a grant-giving body organised as part of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee which supports innovative and radical cultural projects, and has been elected to serve as vice chair of the Swedish Museums Association.
She is a lecturer, critic and advisor for universities and cultural organisations across Europe, and has been awarded master’s degrees in both museum studies and political science from the University of Gothenburg.