Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
5 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
5 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
6 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
8 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Sweden Stockholm Dykande Måsen

Dykande Måsen

A concrete Picasso in the middle of a student housing complex on the outskirts of Stockholm.

Stockholm, Sweden

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Diving Seagull sculpture.   Gumisza/cc by-sa 3.0
Diving Seagull sculpture.   Gumisza/cc by-sa 3.0
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Back side of the sculpture.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Student apartments at Kungshamra.   Arild Vågen/cc by-sa 3.0
Student apartments at Kungshamra.   Arild Vågen/cc by-sa 3.0
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the Stockholm suburb of Bergshamra, Solna, there is a 1960s-era concrete student housing complex called Kungshamra. In the middle of the complex is a local sledding hill, and it's about the last place you'd expect to find a work of art by Pablo Picasso.

Nevertheless, here at the top of the hill sits a towering, 25-foot concrete Picasso sculpture. The piece is called "Dykande Måsen," or "Diving Seagull," and this abstract plunging bird is made in the style of Picasso's close friend and collaborator, Carl Nesjar.

Nesjar, a Norwegian painter and sculptor, created a technique of "painting” on concrete by mixing little black rocks into the mortar. Picasso and Nesjar met in 1957, and the two became friends and partners in making art. They would select one of Picasso’s drawings or sculptures and enlarge it using Nesjar’s technique to create a gigantic concrete version of the artwork. The pair created some 30 works of art from their collaboration, including the Diving Seagull of Kungshamra.

The Picasso is a fitting, if surprising, sculpture for the Kungshamra complex, which was designed by architect Allan Skarne in the prefab concrete style popular in the midcentury. Skarne loved concrete, and donated the Nesjar Picasso piece to mark the new construction. It was erected in 1969 on top of the sledding hill where it stands today.

Related Tags

Sculptures Art Concrete Architecture Picasso Modernism

Know Before You Go

Walk straight from the Bergshamra metro until the road curves strongly to the left. Keep going straight into the student residence area and you'll walk right up to the sculpture.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Edited By

Meg

  • Meg

Published

January 16, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kungshamra
  • https://mitti.se/nyheter/dykande-masen-ar-en-akta-picasso/
Dykande Måsen
75B Kungshamravägen
Bergshamra
Stockholm
Sweden
59.382551, 18.025488
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Joseph Kraus's Grave

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

'The Flute Player'

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Bling-Bling for the People

Stocksund, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Stockholm

Stockholm

Sweden

Places 129
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Joseph Kraus's Grave

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

'The Flute Player'

Stockholm, Sweden

miles away

Bling-Bling for the People

Stocksund, Sweden

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Stockholm

Stockholm

Sweden

Places 129
Stories 5

Related Places

  • ‘Square the Block’ at first glance resembles an architectural oddity.

    London, England

    Square the Block

    A jumble of concrete on the corner of one of London’s terraced buildings is actually a work of art.

  • The Demon of Palazzo Salina

    Bologna, Italy

    The Demon of Palazzo Salina

    This building features dozens of faces along its facade, although one is a bit chilling.

  • Liège, Belgium

    Tour Cybernétique (Cybernetic Tower)

    Nicolas Schöffer's massive interactive sculpture was assembled in 1961 and brought back online in 2016.

  • Fitzcarraldo

    Gwynedd, Wales

    Fitzcarraldo

    In a boatyard near Aberdyfi is a nautically inspired work of art.

  • Old Harkilees in Braintree Museum.

    Essex, England

    Old Harkilees

    This wooden effigy believed to be King Charles I hung for centuries outside an inn and was mistaken for a deity.

  • Music Box Village.

    New Orleans, Louisiana

    Music Box Village

    An otherworldly musical haven in The Big Easy.

  • Chicago, Illinois

    Concrete Traffic

    An actual 1957 Cadillac De Ville, encased in 15 cubic yards of concrete.

  • Caryatids at St Pancras Church.

    London, England

    Coade Stone Caryatids

    A measuring mishap led to these artificial stone ladies losing their stomachs.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.