ARoS rethinks 250 years of art history in brand new collection exhibition

The 2026 exhibition programme rounds off with an ambitious and comprehensive rehang of the ARoS Collection displays. From 28 November, you can explore more than 250 years of Danish and international art history, presented in a new interpretation and a new setting designed to make the collection more accessible, engaging, and relevant to an even wider audience.

How can art help us understand the world we live in? And which social revolutions have shaped the course of art history? These questions form the starting point for ARoS’ new collection exhibition, spanning two floors and bringing the museum’s collection into renewed dialogue with the stories of the past and present.

Since ARoS’ current collection exhibition, Human Nature, opened in 2017, the world has changed significantly. New political, social, and cultural developments have reshaped the perspectives through which we encounter art and history.

“That is why we are now rethinking our collection exhibitions, bringing the artworks into play in entirely new ways that both resonate with the world we live in and open up new perspectives for our visitors,” says Rebecca Matthews, ARoS Museum Director adding:

“The collection is at the heart of ARoS, and we want it to be relevant and accessible to as many people as possible – regardless of their age, background or previous experience with art. With our new collection exhibition, we have worked to break down physical, sensory and social barriers, making it easier for more people to feel welcome and engage with the art.”

The exhibition brings together major works, rarely exhibited pieces and recent acquisitions, spanning more than 250 years of art history while highlighting ARoS’ particular strength in immersive installation art. Level 8 presents works from 1770 to 1930, while Level 6 explores artistic developments from 1930 to the present day. The new collection exhibition has been made possible thanks to a generous grant of DKK 7.5 million from the A.P. Moller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Moller Foundation.

Golden Age paintings, immersive installations and new acquisitions

The exhibition of historical works opens with an 1831 painting by Christian David Gebauer – the very first work acquired for the ARoS Collection – while the exhibition of more recent works begins with a major new acquisition by French contemporary artist Sophie Calle.

“Our new collection exhibition spans masterpieces from the Danish Golden Age to more recent works by leading Danish and international contemporary artists. We have curated the exhibition so that each floor begins with a revolution: On Level 8, we take the revolutions of the 18th century and Abildgaard’s Neoclassicism as our starting point, while Level 6 opens with the Surrealist revolution, featuring works by artists including Wilhelm Freddie and Vilhelm Bjerke Petersen. From there, art history unfolds through new connections between artists, periods and artistic expressions,” says Jakob Vengberg Sevel, Curator at ARoS.

The exhibition includes a range of recently acquired works by artists including Anna Ancher, Sophie Calle, Jeannette Ehlers, Philippe Parreno, Helen Pashgian, Elyn Zimmermann and Martin Brandt Hansen.

“I am particularly pleased that we can add the work of two female artists from the American Light and Space movement to our collection: Elyn Zimmerman and Helen Pashgian. Their works create new connections with Olafur Eliasson’s Your rainbow panorama and James Turrell’s As Seen Below, further strengthening the narrative of light and installation art at ARoS,” says Stinna Toft, Chief Curator at ARoS.

On Level 8, you can also experience P.S. Krøyer’s monumental painting From the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (1895), on display at ARoS until September 2027 as part of a nationwide tour in collaboration with Dansk Erhverv and Kunst På Arbejde.

On Level 6, a large window overlooking Vester Allé will be reopened for the first time since 2014. Offering a direct view of the city, it creates a stronger visual connection between the museum and Aarhus.

An accessible and inclusive collection

When the new collection exhibition opens, it will also feature two small pop-up exhibitions. One focuses on the life and artistic practice of Danish artist Ovartaci, while the other explores colonialism in Danish art history, presenting watercolours by Danish naval officer Frederik von Scholten from the 1830s and 1840s alongside a work by Jeannette Ehlers from 2022. The pop-up exhibitions will change regularly, offering fresh perspectives on art history through new research and smaller loans.

In addition, particular attention has been paid to creating variety in the exhibition’s interpretive texts and signage. Throughout the galleries, sensory and audio stations invite visitors to explore selected artworks through the perspectives of children and researchers. Special routes have also been developed for children, including a small doorway at child height that invites younger visitors to discover the collection in their own way.

For the first time, ARoS is also making its entire collection accessible online. A new digital database will allow visitors to explore the thousands of artworks in the museum’s collection, including those held in storage and not normally on public display.

About the new collection exhibition

The collection exhibition is curated by Jakob Vengberg Sevel and opens on 28 November 2026. The exhibition design has been developed by the agency SoloSolo, comprising Art Director Helene Dalgaard and art historian Anni Nørskov Mørch. The exhibition architecture is designed by ARoS’ architect Lotte Helle-Valle.

In winter 2026, four of ARoS’ seven galleries will present works from the museum’s own collection. As part of this development, the installation art gallery on Level 0 will be renamed The Hidden Spaces.

To celebrate the opening, ARoS will host both an opening night on 27 November and a special day for children on 28 November, from 9 am to 12 noon, with free admission to the museum for children and their accompanying adults. The latter will include music, activities, and child-friendly guided tours.

The exhibition has been made possible with support from the A.P. Moller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Moller Foundation.

Dinesen Floors A/S and Stilling A/S have contributed materials to the exhibition design.

Press images can be downloaded via Dropbox and may be used freely with appropriate credit.

Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Arrangement with wine glass, book and orange, 1931 © ARoS.

For further information, please contact:
ARoS Press and Communications
presse@aros.dk
+45 61904942