About us

Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (NNKM) serves the regions of Troms, Finnmark and Nordland, as well as Svalbard. The museum plays a significant role in Norway, the Nordic, circumpolar and the international art world. Central to the museum is the care, research and activation of a collection of over 2,225 works by artists from the 1600s to the present day. There is a growing presence of Sami daiddars and duojár in our collection. We are committed to social/climate justice and transformation. 

The museum has programming responsibility for the newly established Nordover Kunstsenter and is a key partner in the artist residence Artica Svalbard (Longyearbyen, Svalbard) which makes NNKM exceptional when it comes to operating so close to the North Pole. NNKM already has offices in Bodø and will open NNKM Bodø in 2024. We are also working towards a new museum building in Tromsø in collaboration with the Municipality of Tromsø and the Arctic Philharmonic.

NNKM Values: Open, Relevant, Co-creation

History
The museum was established as a foundation in 1985. It was and still is, almost completely funded by the government. The museum opened its doors for the first time in 1985, in rented spaces above Tromsø Center for Contemporary Art. In December 2001 Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum moved to its own building at Sjøgata 1. The monumental brick building was designed and used as a Post office and Telegraph by architect Søren Andres Wiese Opsahl in 1917. The building was also Tromsø police headquarters for some time.