Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Denmark
Attraction of the Month, Denmark
Danish art history and a contemporary edge At Kastrupgårdsamlingen in Copenhagen, visitors are in for a complete experience as the museum hosts the finest works across disciplines challenging conventional perceptions of graphic art and lithography. By: Susan Hansen | Photos: Kastrupgårdsamlingen
Another benefit is the news that admission will be free from January 2017. “We are very excited about this and it’s against the current trend and climate of our sector,” says Rasmussen.
Kristian Rasmussen, curator, explains how graphic art continues to make up a significant part of the commissioned exhibition portfolio: “There is perhaps a tendency to view graphic art and lithography as second to painting. Our aim is to try to redefine the conventional perception to ensure they are integrated.”
Formerly an old manor house, the museum is in beautiful surroundings in an area with a social democrat tradition. “It is one of our priorities; we are financed by the council, and being able to offer free admission is a way of demonstrating our political position,” the curator explains. “It is a true gift from the local politicians.”
Keen to outline the development in Danish contemporary arts and display the works of established artists has led the museum to host a wide range of exhibitions giving a nuanced and general overview of Danish history of modern art. The often simultaneous developments across forms allow the museum to present multi-disciplinary displays of painting, installation and graphic art along with scientific illustration and research into a diverse range of art movements.
Graphic art and prolific names The focus of the permanent collection is graphic art, but the museum hosts on av128 | Issue 94 | November 2016
erage four exhibitions featuring prolific, leading names in contemporary painting each year. In addition, the old part of Kastrupgård holds a permanent exhibition showing the works of Danish painter Theodor Philipsen, a local resident of Amager during the 1890s. Focusing on the here and now, the current exhibition, Vibeke Tøjner’s The Face of Camus, features paintings and works of paper and runs until 19 February 2017. Tøjner is one of the recommissioned artists at Kastrupgårdsamlingen. Critically acclaimed and well established, she is a good example of the calibre sought by the museum.
‘A gift from politicians’ The location on Amager in the south of Copenhagen would previously have meant attracting a core of local visitors. However, the launch of Copenhagen’s metro station and subsequent fluctuation of commuters has increased diversity in attendance, attracting different crowds.
For more information, please visit: www.kastrupgaardsamlingen.dk