KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art is located in Aalborg,

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, on Kong Christians Allé near its junction with Vesterbro. Of a modern Scandinavian design, it was built between 1968 and 1972 by

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architects Elissa and Alvar Aalto and Danish architect Jean-Jacques Baruël. It was completed on 8 June 1972. The museum has been termed a "showplace for 20th-century Danish and international art", as it showcases both domestic and international modern art collections. It is described as "strikingly contemporary in both form and content".

History

The architectural plans for designing the museum were selected from the 144 submissions made to the Nordic architectural competition by 15 January 1958. The competition was won by the Finnish architects Alvar Aalto, his wife Elissa, and his associate Jean-Jacques Baruël. However, due to financial problems, actual construction only started in 1966. Completed in 1972, it was officially inaugurated on 8 June 1972. It received its present name in 2008, before that it was known as the North Jutland Art Museum in Aalborg (Danish: ''Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum i Aalborg'').

Features

The museum, rising against the hills like a

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, extends over . It is built to a square plan with galleries organised on the ground level around the central exhibition area. In addition to the entrance hall and offices, the building consists of a sculpture gallery, several sky-lit galleries and seven small display rooms. The roof is set above the central hall which rises in the form of a pyramid, providing a skylight in the form of a crown-shaped lantern. Both sides of the central hall have lobbies or galleries which are well lit by natural light while the rear can be divided into smaller rooms by means of flexible walls. The combination of strategically placed skylights and diffused lighting has effectively "manipulated the Nordic light" in illuminating the galleries, relying on a series of reflectors and light-coloured materials. The "two-sided, elongated skylights" control the sunlight on the southern side to a restricted angle of 56 degrees whereas it is fully open at a 90-degree angle on its northern side. The ceiling has suspended lights with double parabolic reflecting surfaces, avoiding any shadows. The music room in the main building is fitted with prism-shaped skylights. The light, as it gets deflected from the screens, walls and boards induces diffused lighting of the open spaces of the museum, gaining the name of a "light machine". The quality of the light adapts to the needs of day and night. The basement below the structure fits the natural ground profile and is used for a car park, a restaurant, two lecture rooms, and a maintenance workshop. The building has been designed in response to its natural context. The external facade is made of marble, glass, wood, and copper sheeting. Most of the interior floor space and pavement are of

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marble. The light colours of the materials have been chosen to enhance the appearance of the art works. The main building also houses a children's museum.

Collection

The collection consisting of around 1,500 art objects (from 1900 to the present day) includes paintings, sculptures and other media covering a wide range of Naturalism, Abstract Art and contemporary experimental art. An 1890 painting by the Danish artist J.F. Willumsen (1863–1958) titled ''Two Woman Parting After a Chat'', inspired by

Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, stands out among the many other paintings on display. The collection includes paintings from the late 19th and early 20th century by

Vilhelm Lundstrøm Vilhelm Lundstrøm (26 May 1893 – 9 May 1950) was a Danish modernist painter. He was a central figure in early Danish experimental art and introduced French cubism to Denmark. Biography Vilhelm Henry Lundstrøm was born in Copenhagen, Den ...

Edvard Weie Viggo Thorvald Edvard Weie (18 November 1879 - 9 April 1943) was a Danish Modernist painter. He was a recipient of Eckersberg Medal in 1925. He died during 1943 in Frederiksberg. Biography Weie was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father went ...

, Jens Søndergaard,

Erik Hoppe Erik Hoppe (1896–1968) was a Danish painter who is remembered for his paintings from the Copenhagen area, especially those with young ladies in the park at Valby. Hoppe also mastered the effects of light and colour. His earlier work is typified ...

Wilhelm Freddie Wilhelm Freddie, born Christian Frederik Wilhelm Carlsen (7 February 1909 – 26 October 1995) was a Danish painter, sculptor and filmmaker. Initially working along a somewhat abstract line, he soon turned towards a more realistic surrealism, on ...

Ejler Bille Ejler Bille (6 March 1910 – 1 May 2004) was a Danish artist. Biography Ejler Bille was born in Odder, Denmark. He was the son of Torben Holger Bille and Anna Kirstine Lysabild Jensen. Bille graduated from Birkerød State School in 1930, and then ...

, Egill Jacobsen,

Victor Isbrand Victor Isbrand (1897 – 1989) was a Danish painter. Biography Isbrand was born on 6 July 1897 in Copenhagen. From 1913 to 1917 Isbrand studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and from 1930 to 1967, he taught drawing at the School of ...

Asger Jorn Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. He was born in Vejrum, in the northwest c ...

, Carl-Henning Pedersen,

Sonja Ferlov Mancoba Sonja Ferlov Mancoba (1 November 1911 – 17 December 1984) was a Danish avant-garde sculptor. Biography She attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was affiliated with the CoBrA group, along with her husband, South African artist Ernes ...

Richard Mortensen Richard Mortensen (23 October 1910 – 6 January 1993) was a Danish painter. Biography Richard Strange Mortensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied between 1931 and 1932 at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. Influenced by the ...

and Robert Jacobsen. The 20th-century art is exemplified by such names as

Willy Ørskov Willy Ørskov (21 December 1920 in Aarhus – 12 June 1990 in Helsingør) was a Danish sculptor who is remembered for works created from plastics and inflatable materials. Biography Ørskov's studies at the Valand School of Fine Arts Valand A ...

Poul Gernes Poul is a Danish masculine given name. It is the Danish cognate of the name Paul. Poul may refer to: People * Poul Andersen (1922–2006), Danish printer *Poul Anderson (1926–2001), American writer * Poul Erik Andreasen (born 1949), Danish f ...

Mogens Møller Mogens Møller (28 November 1934 – 16 June 2021 Kirsten Christensen Kirsten Annette Christensen (born 1943) is a Danish painter and ceramist. She has created large reliefs depicting existential themes such as old age, sickness, pollution and death. Biography Born in Copenhagen on 7 February 1943, Christensen firs ...

Kirsten Ortwed Kirsten Møller Ortwed (born 28 May 1948) is a Danish artist, now based in Cologne, Germany. She is noted for her striking sculptures in public spaces and her sometimes surprising combinations of traditional and unconventional materials. Early li ...

, Kehnet Nielsen and Ingvar Cronhammar. Foreign artists, such as

Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...

and Chagall, are represented as well. There are many private collections on display, including the Anna and Kresten Krestensen Collection from 1967 acquired with a grant from the Kirsten and Palle Dige Foundation. The collection also covers "works by the surrealists, members of the Fluxus group and Denmark’s 'wild young artists' from the 1980s".

Grounds

The grounds are near the edge of extensive parkland and woodlands, with a backdrop of hills. The surrounding outdoor areas include a well-tended sculpture park, an amphitheatre and a terrace. The sculptures include works by

Gunnar Aagaard Andersen Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (14 July 1919 – 29 June 1982) was a Danish sculptor, painter, designer and architect whose work belongs to the Concrete art movement. Early life and education Born in Ordrup to the north of Copenhagen, Aagaard Andersen a ...

, Lene Adler Petersen and

Mogens Møller Mogens Møller (28 November 1934 – 16 June 2021

Directors

*Lasse Andersson (2020 – ) *Gitte Ørskou (2009 – 2019) *Nina Hobolth (1989 – 2009) *Else Bülow (1979 – 1989) *Lars Rostrup Bøyesen (1970 – 1979)

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

KUNSTEN website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunsten Museum Of Modern Art Art museums and galleries in Denmark Modern art museums Alvar Aalto buildings Listed buildings and structures in Aalborg Municipality Museums in Aalborg