Hamngatan 4
in Malmö

Hamngatan 4, Malmö — Hamngatan 4 in MalmöJohan Schlasberg

A House with a Long History

Hamngatan received its name in 1914. Before that, it consisted of two parts: an older street leading to Stortorget and another section towards the harbor. The latter was built around 1870.

Shops and other businesses ↓

Ownership Information

Not updated

In 1914, Malmö was to host an international art, industry and crafts fair – the Baltic Exhibition ↗ svW – and therefore a more impressive entrance to the city from the harbor and central station was needed. The narrow alley was widened and Hamngatan 4 was constructed. More about the building’s historyꜜ

Roslin Lady with the Veil — Housed at the Nationalmuseum

Alexander Roslin became one of the great portrait painters of his time. His birthplace is honored with a plaque on the facade. In September 2007, the Nationalmuseum held a large Roslin exhibition. More about Roslinꜜ

Stortorget i Malmö — Stortorget (IDstory) changes every week with exhibitions, demonstrations, festivals and much more.

View of the western part of Stortorget and Hotel Kramer as seen from the fifth floor, as well as Hamngatan seen northward from the fifth floor of the corner building Hamngatan/Norra Vallgatan 64 (IDstory).

Hamngatan 4 was designed in 1912 by the architects August Ewe ↗ svW and Carl Melin↗ svW. At the beginning of the century, they ran one of the most successful architectural firms in southern Sweden and won several awards. The street from the harbor to Stortorget had been a narrow alley, which did not at all fit Malmö’s desired impression for visitors to the Baltic Exhibition of 1914. After negotiations and expropriations, the street was widened from 9 to 15 meters, and Hamngatan 4 was built. The builder’s name was Billberg.

Hamngatan 1914 — The image also shows how much narrower the street used to be

Reconstruction

When Hamngatan 4 was built, the previous street house was allowed to remain during construction. The upper floors were no longer inhabited, but the shops could continue their business.

The windows on the second floor were bold and expressed modern architecture. In the book The Architects who Shaped Malmö, the facades are described as Austrian Art Nouveau, but with Baroque elements in the composition. Between the window sections, there are ornaments referring both to the city’s medieval heyday and the proud future the city wanted to conjure up: Hanseatic cogs, airplanes, automobiles and locomotives are depicted. See examples below.

At the top there was a former photo studio, visited by many residents of Malmö. Skandia owned the building for many years and had significant operations there.

As mentioned earlier, the street received its current name only in 1914. Historically, the northern section had names such as Botzmans strede (c. 1435), Dark Gate (c. 1750) and East Harbor Alley (c. 1850).

Today the street often suffers from stationary car traffic, as the traffic lights at Hotel Savoy rarely let more than 4–6 cars through at a time. A modern dilemma that likely won’t be solved until traffic to Stortorget is reduced. However, the street has gained a more beautiful appearance in recent years with new paving stones, flower arrangements, and street lighting.

At street level there are around ten shops, several of which use signage to actively attract passersby. Blomsterpigan is a good example.

A Facade Plaque about Alexander Roslin

Alexander Roslin

One of the most famous artists of his time.
Portrait painter of Gustav III, Catherine the Great,

and Louis XV, member of both the Swedish and French Academies of Art. Born on July 15, 1718
on property No. 337, located where Hamngatan now runs.
He died in his official residence at the Louvre in Paris on July 5, 1793.

Roslin suédois

Malmö Museum has several portraits by Roslin and an informative introduction↗ on his life.

At least one of the paintings is signed che Roslin (chevalier Roslin). In September 2007, the Nationalmuseum opened a major Roslin exhibition that later continued to Versailles. About 350 works by him are known today, but the number is believed to be considerably higher.

Roslin Princess — Princess Golitsyn, 1777

Over 200 years after Roslin’s fame as a portrait painter, a very different approach to capturing soul, personality, and power is celebrated. Lucian Freud was exhibited at Louisiana↗ in Denmark until January 27, 2008. He is introduced as Lucian Freud↗ enW, grandson of psychoanalysis pioneer Sigmund Freud, regarded as the most important living figurative painter. Read a review of Freud’s exhibition. His portrait of Queen Elisabeth II sparked heated debate↗ in England.

Lady with the Veil depicts Roslin’s wife Marie Suzanne Giroust. She was 16 years younger than him, orphaned in her youth, but wealthy enough to study due to inheritance. She wanted to become an artist and, in 1770, was accepted into the portrait department at the l’Académie royale (today incorporated into l'Institut de France). She died in 1772.

The painting was exhibited at the Salon in 1769. In the book Alexander Roslin↗ by Magnus Olausson, we read: Masquerade as a theme in art had been cherished in France since the Baroque period. During the Rococo, solemnity was replaced by playfulness, sometimes almost irreverent. The portrait of his wife is titled Une Tète de femme ajousté à la Bolonaise.

As the title suggests, the painting portrays a woman with her face half-hidden behind a black veil and a fan. Through the combination of masquerade and illusionism, Roslin plays a hide-and-seek game with the viewer. In this refined way, his beautiful wife became one of art history’s most famous “decoys.”

The Lady with the Veil was issued as a postage stamp in 1972 in the Swedish Post Office’s series Gustavian Art.

Lucian Freud once said, I paint what I see. Alexander Roslin↗ svW had different eyes – and different intentions.