The Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art, located in Malmö, Sweden, was a formally private-owned (though publicly funded) centre for contemporary art. Founded in 1988 by the Swedish art collector and financier Fredrik Roos, the Rooseum began as a traditional exhibition hall showing modern and contemporary art from the Nordic countries and internationally. Under the first director, Lars Nittve, it established an international reputation. With the arrival of Charles Esche in 2000, the Rooseum promoted more experimental relationships between art, artists and audience, by offering exhibitions and commissions linked to seminars, discussions and relevant screenings. It became one of the main sites of the artistic discussion around 'New institutionalism'.