A long history

Founded in 1865, Valand plays an important role in the Swedish art scene. The school is situated in central Göteborg, a part of Göteborg University and since 1995, part of the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts which includes the Academy of Music & Drama, Theater and Opera, the School of Photography, the School of Film, the School of Design and Crafts and Literary Composition, Poetry & Prose.

Approximately one hundred students study at Valand and there are three master programs + a bachelors program and a research PHD

The goals of the educations is to develop students conceptually and technically - with art history and theoretical knowledge as the basis for developing art practices and relations to the arena they choose to work in.

Valand School of Fine Arts was founded in 1865 as Göteborgs Musei Ritskola in The East India Company Building, now the City Museum of Goteborg. Valand is by this one of the oldest art schools in Sweden.

In 1890 the school moved to the crossing of Kungsportsavenyn and Vasagatan. The building was then called VALAND, a slight distortion of the Old Norse hero and art blacksmith Völund or Volund who had his statue at the roof top. At the turn of the century 1900 Carl Larsson, Bruno Liljefors, Hanna Hirsch Pauli and Carl Wilhelmson instructed and teached at Valand. Here they could develop the opponents ideas of a free art education.

The painting School left the Valand building 1925 and moved to premises at Ekmansgatan behind Götaplatsen. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s quite a few of the ”göteborg colourists” studied at Valand as Tor Bjurström, Åke Göransson, Ivan Ivarsson, Ragnar Sandberg and Inge Schiöler.

1950 the school moved again, to Dr Saléns street at Södra Guldheden. From 1947 to 1955 Endre Nemes set the tone and he was also an international focused principal. He was succeed by Torsten Renqvist.

1951 a sculputre school was initiated by Palle Parnevi.

1970 Valand moved again. Now to the shipyard area on Hisingen island, Lindholmen. During the 70s the political agenda also in art had a strong hold at Valand.

1977 Valand became an institution of the University of Gothenburg by the name Valand School of Fine Arts. Among students studying here lately we can mention Ernst Billgren, Helene Billgren, Pål Hollender, Matts Leiderstam, Cecilia Parsberg and Elin Wikström.

Today (since 1996) Valand can be found in the center of Goteborg at Vasagatan 50.