Institut Tessin, Swedish cultural center in Marais, Paris, France

Institut Tessin occupies the Hotel de Marle, a 16th-century mansion on rue Payenne in the Marais district, and holds a collection of Swedish art. The building contains over 600 paintings and around 5000 works on paper such as drawings, prints and engravings in its galleries.

Sweden bought the Hôtel de Marle in 1965 on the advice of art historian Gunnar W. Lundberg, who was encouraged by André Malraux. Restoration of the dilapidated 16th-century mansion began in 1967, and the Swedish Cultural Centre opened there in 1971. The Tessin collection was named after Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (1695–1770), a great collector.

The collection is named after Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (1695–1770), a Swedish collector, not a Renaissance artist. The institute also runs Swedish language courses, film screenings, concerts, theatre and literary talks, and is the only Swedish cultural centre abroad. Its café and five studios for artists and researchers sit alongside the galleries.

The museum is reached from Saint-Paul station on Line 1, the closest stop to 11 rue Payenne. It opens on weekdays but stays closed on Mondays, and admission costs nothing. The Institut Tessin shares the Hôtel de Marle with the Swedish Institute, so some rooms serve temporary exhibitions rather than the permanent collection.

The permanent collection is named after Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (1695–1770), a major collector, and was assembled by art historian Gunnar W. Lundberg, who found the Hôtel de Marle in the early 1960s while looking for a setting for his art collection. It holds some 600 paintings and more than 5,000 books, drawings, prints and watercolours.