ARKEN Museum of Modern Art is a monumental landmark surrounded by a manmade beachscape just south of Copenhagen. The museum showcases one of Scandinavia’s finest collections of contemporary art, and the maritime-inspired architecture has gained the museum international renown.
One of Denmark’s newest contemporary art museums, the ARKEN Museum of Modern Art was inaugurated on 15 March 1996 by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II. Prior to this, years had been spent to ensure that this coastal location in Ishøj just south of Copenhagen would become a significant player in Danish cultural life.
The young architecture student, Søren Robert Lund, surprised the establishment by winning the design competition with a Deconstructivist museum, which resembled a giant beached ship.
The ship metaphor is also evident in the huge indoor gallery axis, which is shaped like a hull with tall, heavy doors of iron, exposed rivet-like bolts and metal staircases. This distinctive and bold design provides the framework for a large collection of contemporary art and special exhibitions.
Tuesday–Sunday 10-17
Wednesday 10-21
Entrance for exhibitions
Under 18: free entrance