Moderna Museet – Sweden’s national museum for contemporary art – has returned to its home in central Stockholm following a two-year nomadic period.

The museum has been situated on the Skeppsholmen island since its opening in 1958, initially located in a former Navy drill house.

The current building – inaugurated in February 1998 by the Swedish King – was designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo but was forced to close in 2002 after officials found that virulent mould had destroyed parts of the building and made a number of staff too ill to work.

Now, after a complete refurbishment and a 27-month exile for the museum, the collections have returned to picturesque Skepssholm in the heart of the Swedish capital.

Lars Nittve, head of Moderna Museet and a founding director of the UK’s Tate Modern, said: “We have done a lot of moving in the past two years. I sincerely hope this will be our final and permanent move to what has always been our true home.”

The museum was officially re-launched on 14 February by Swedish prime minister, Goran Persson and minister for culture, Marita Ulvskog.

The most striking difference in the new facility will be the absence of a ticket office. The museum will no longer charge admission fees as it aims to make art more accessible for younger generations. www.modernamuseet.se