About Kunsthal Charlottenborg

Kunsthal Charlottenborg is one of the largest and most beautiful exhibition spaces for contemporary art in Northern Europe. The dutch inspired baroque palace housing the exhibition halls is an addition to the historical Charlottenborg Palace. Since 1883 contemporary art has been presented in the unique exhibition building designed just for that purpose after French example.

The exhibition space presents an ambitious program with international outlook featuring talents as well as established stars from both Denmark and abroad. Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents uncompromising and agenda setting art still understandable for everyone. The trendsetting exhibition program is supplemented with a large number of activities like artist talks, performances, concerts and film screenings.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg has a unique connection with The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Visual Arts, of which we are a part. Kunsthal Charlottenborg collaborates closely with the Schools of Visual Arts’ department of administration on e.g. talks, lectures, screenings and other events, just as Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents the annual exhibition by the graduate students of the Schools of Visual Arts. Kunsthal Charlottenborg is by the way the only Government-subsidized exhibition hall in Copenhagen.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s central location between Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn and Papirøen with easy acces via public transportation, and the connection to the Academy’s Schools of Visual Arts, where both students and established artist are regular visitors, make Kunsthal Charlottenborg the natural meeting place for contemporary art in Copenhagen.

CHARLOTTENBORG PALACE

The construction of Charlottenborg Palace was begun in 1672 in dutch baroque style as residence for vicegerent of Norway, Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, illegitimate son of King Frederik III. By the turn of the century, widow queen Charlotte Amalie bought the palace, and since then the palace have born her name.

The building was used by many different public institutions during the middle of the 18th century, but was eventually taken over by The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (officially initiated in 1754). After many discussions on how to create an additional building for the Academy for exhibition purposes, Charlottenborg Exhibition Building was finally opened in 1883, build after blueprints by renowned Danish architects Ferdinand Meldahl and Albert Jensen. The building, which also houses Denmark’s Library of Art, was fundamentally restored in the last part of the 1970’es and in 2007 changed its name to Kunsthal Charlottenborg.