Portrait of Honour is Sarah Sjöström

The 2025 Portrait of Honour depicts swimmer Sarah Sjöström and was taken by photographer Magnus Ragnvid. The Portrait of Honour will become part of the collection at the Swedish National Portrait Gallery.

The Swedish National Portrait Gallery at Gripsholm Castle is the world’s oldest national portrait gallery. New works are added each year including a Portrait of Honour depicting a prominent Swede, which is donated to the collection by the Gripsholm Association.

The portrait

Sarah Sjöström has been one of the world’s top swimmers for more than fifteen years. She got her big break at the age of fourteen in 2008 with a sensational European Championship gold medal, and has since won 98 medals in international competitions – more than any other European swimmer has ever achieved. Her most recent major successes were her victories in the 50 and 100-metre freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Freestyle and butterfly are her specialities, and she excels in short-distance events. She has set numerous world records and currently holds three world records in freestyle and butterfly.

Sarah Sjöström gave birth to her first child in August this year. Magnus Ragnvid’s portrait was taken not long before the baby was born, and shows a very pregnant world-class swimmer in profile. She is wearing a dress – designed by Lars Wallin – reminiscent of the draped fabric familiar from sculptures of Greek and Roman gods. The dress may also evoke an image of running water.

The artist

Photographer Magnus Ragnvid has been based in Stockholm since the mid-1990s, but has also worked periodically in Berlin, Copenhagen and London. He has worked with many types of images – portraits, photos for cookery books, fashion features, advertising – and, more recently, he has been working with moving images as well. His photos have been presented in numerous exhibitions, and Familiar Face – an exhibition about women who have influenced him – was presented in Klippan, his hometown, in 2020.

Top image, photo Magnus Ragnvid, Lisa Raihle Rehbäck