The Artists' Association of Sweden


The Artists' Association of Sweden (Konstnärernas Riksorganisation), founded in 1937, is an organization for professional visual artists, crafts artists and designers. The task of the Artists' Association of Sweden is to represent Swedish visual artists in political issues concerning art and artists' financial and social situation.

The Artists' Association of Sweden is a member of the International Association of Art (IAA / AIAP) and currently holds the position of vice president of IAA Europe as well as a position in the executive committee of IAA World.

We also hold a position on the executive committee of NNCA - Nordic Network of Crafts Associations.

A message about artistic freedom for World Art Day 2023

13 april 2023
For World Art Day 2023, Sara Edström, President of The Artists’ Association of Sweden and Vice president of IAA Europe, sends a video message where she talks about the importance of artistic freedom and presents The Artists’ Association of Sweden’s new platform Artistic Freedom Watch.

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Konstnärernas Riksorganisation
Artists' Association of Sweden

Address Hornsgatan 103
SE-11728 Stockholm 
Phone +46 (0) 8 54 54 20 80 
E-mail kro(at)kro.se

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 9–15 
Telephone hours: Monday-Friday 9–12 

About us

The Artists' Association of Sweden represents more than 3,500 professional visual artists, crafts artists and designers in Sweden. The Artists' Association of Sweden is active locally and regionally, as well as nationally and internationally. We are engaged in negotiations and/or collaborations with institutions such as the Swedish Parliament and Government, authorities, institutions, universities and colleges, local authorities, the business community, and national and international cultural organisations. The organization publishes the magazine KONSTNÄREN.

Our mission is to

  • increase the number of job opportunities in the sector
  • strengthen the protection of artists' authors' rights
  • strengthen the position of artists in society
  • reach agreements on fees and working conditions
  • increase artists' influence on the art scene


Become a member

Do you want to join us?

In addition to gaining access to a number of membership benefits you become part of the artists' professional organization and get a platform for your artistic work. You can also get involved in our local associations. As a member of the Artists' Association of Sweden, you contribute to ameliorating the conditions of art practice and artists. With an organized profession, we can advance our positions and strengthen the social and economic conditions of all artists working in Sweden.

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The MU agreement

Agreement of Payment of Artists for Participation and Exhibition

In 2009, the Swedish government adopted a new agreement for remuneration to artists to display their artworks. The MU agreement – a ‘participation and exhibition remuneration agreement’ – covers payment to artists to display artworks as a kind of ‘rent’. This is additional to other kinds of financial compensation for an exhibition, such as transport, installation, publication, etc. The agreement clarifies that all work the artist undertakes at exhibitions – before, during and after the show – is to be governed by a written contract and remunerated outside the framework of the exhibition fee.

The agreement was signed by the Swedish Arts Council, as the representative of the Swedish state, and the Artists' Association of Sweden (KRO/KIF), the Association of Swedish Illustrators and the Swedish Photographers Association. It is binding on all public institutions with an exhibiting role and provides guidance for all professional exhibition organisers in receipt of public funding. 

The agreement was last updated in January 2018, and the tariffs were updated in January 2021.


Read more about the agreement in

MU Agreement

And use the template for the Standard Agreement

MU Standard Agreement Template


Membership benefits

Legal advice
by our lawyer Katarina Renman Claesson via phone/email.

The magazine KONSTNÄREN
a trimestral magazine about art.

Access to templates relating to contract law, tax declaration counselling etc

Subsidised artist insurance
Beneficial artist and studio insurances with low deductibles such as 1,000 SEK.

Subsidised insurance for art students
Beneficial art student insurances with low deductibles such as 1,000 SEK.

Subsidised guest apartment in Stockholm
Members may rent guest rooms at Mosebacke torg for the price of 418 SEK/night.

Free entrance to a number of museums worldwide
Through the IAA-card. As a member, you will find a list of museums with free or subsidised entrance fees on the members’ section on our website

The Carina Ari-atelier in Paris
Every year members can apply for a subsidised stay in the studio in Paris.

Discounts on computers/printers etc
Discounts are available from well-known brands such as Olivetti, OCÉ, Canon, HP, Lexmark, Brother, ASUS.

Discounts on consumables
Toners, paper, etc

Discounts on artist material and art supplies
As a member you are entitled to discounts in several stores all throughout Sweden; this accounts for cheaper colour, frames, canvases etc

A monthly digital newsletter

Announcements and opportunities
Compiled information regarding current stipends, commissions, applications, contract award procedures, job openings, public art assignments, residencies, calls for international exhibitions and courses is available on the members’ section of the KRO website

Courses and seminars
Further training and continued education are available for all of our members. The field of expertise covered through courses and seminars are vocational topics in the artistic field, issues surrounding contractual agreements and other provisions of the trade—as well as cultural policies and political state of affairs.

On the members’ section at the website, you will find a list of stores offering a discount to our members. If you don’t remember your login, please contact the support at kro@kro.se

James Taylor-Foster: What will exhibitions look like in 20 years?

Interview |  16 augusti 2021

James Taylor-Foster, curator for contemporary architecture and design at ArkDes in Stockholm and former European editor-in-chief at ArchDaily, talks about the future of exhibitions in this interview for Konstnärernas Riksorganisation (the Artists' Association of Sweden).

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Visual Arts Organizations

The Artists' Association of Sweden is a member of:

Bildupphovsrätt i Sverige, The Visual Copyright Society in Sweden, is an economic association, which fosters the common copyright issues of visual and design artists, illustrators, photographers, designers and other creators of images and design. Bildupphovsrätt draws up arguments and distributes royalties to those whose works are used.

The International Association of Art (IAA/AIAP), http://www.aiap-iaa.org/front3.htm, is a non-governmental organization in partnership with Unesco. The objectives are to stimulate international cooperation among artists of all countries. IAA Europehttp://www.iaa-europe.eu, is a network of about 40 national member organisations within Europe, representing professional visual artists.

NNCA - Nordic Network of Crafts Associations
NNCA is a network collaboration that shall be a meeting place and a continuing dialogue between the Nordic crafts associations. NNCA aims to strengthen the organisations in their work to develop the crafts scene nationally and internationally. 

Useful links

The Swedish Arts Grants Committee 

The Swedish Institute 

Public Art Agency Sweden

Supermarket - Stockholm Independent Artfair

Museum of Modern Art

Making a Living Making a Life

Making a Living Making a Life

CONVERSATIONS |  27 maj 2021

What is revealed in moments of crisis about the resilience or fragility of the ways in which artists currently make a living? Where do we find examples of artistic lives sustained by unexpected forms of social and economic relationship?

In April 2021, Konstnärernas Riksorganisation brought together six artists from Sweden and the UK for a digital roundtable in order to “think aloud and together” about the strategies by which people make a life around the work of art. This was a search for clues, for inspiration and stimulation, for hidden moves and sobering reflections.

To lead into this conversation, we invited the social thinker and writer Dougald Hine to share some thoughts and questions about artistic livelihoods and their long-term sustainability, drawing on his experiences as co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project and a school called HOME, as well as his work as leader of artistic development at Riksteatern.

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The Artists’ Guide

The Artists’ Guide, published by The Swedish Arts Grants Committe is a web portal for artists based in other countries who would like to learn more about visiting, working and living in Sweden. The Artists’ Guide is divided into sections with information directed to citizens of the EU/EEA countries, with a special part for Nordic citizens, and a section with information for citizens outside EU/EAA.

The Artists’ Guide describes the premises for a temporary visit, a longer visit or a permanent stay. There is also information about how the Swedish tax and social security systems work and links to other agencies’ websites for more detailed information.

The Artists’ Guide 

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International perspectives on artists' reimbursements for exhibitions

Case study |  10 november 2021

Our federation lawyer Katarina Renman Claesson has written about how the Swedish MU agreement regulating remuneration to artists at exhibitions relates to general contractual principles, something that was tested in the so-called "Strandverket case" where a Swedish artist sued a municipality for breach of contract and won.

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Support Ukraine

National Governments, the European Commission and World Leaders Must Support European Cultural Organisations to Continue Collaboration with Ukraine at All Costs

15 mars 2022
As a member of IAA Europe, the National Organisation of Artists we have signed this statement from our European sister organisations from different cultural fields. We wish for international cooperation with dialogue and solidarity, and a peaceful solution to this senseless war.

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IAA möte panel

Report from the General Assembly of International Association of Art, Istanbul 23 - 25 February 2023

7 mars 2023
The Artists’ Association of Sweden attended the General Assembly of the IAA, the International Association of Art, to push artists' issues on a global level during intense days characterized by cultural plurality. The meeting took place in Istanbul 23 - 25 February 2023.

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Häng med i konstnärspolitiken!

Välkommen att prenumerera på Konstnärernas Riksorganisations konstnärspolitiska nyhetsbrev. Nyhetsbrevet skickas ut cirka 4 gånger per år och ger dig en snabb översikt över aktuella politiska frågor som är viktiga för konstnärskåren. Det riktar sig i första hand till politiker eller tjänstepersoner med ansvar för kulturpolitiken på statlig, regional eller kommunal nivå.

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