Opening of the expansion
Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art
Oslo Plads 1
DK- 2100 Copenhagen Ø
The first exhibition in the new exhibition room is with renowned British/American artist Susan Hiller.
The biggest change at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art for 100 years is now almost complete. The A.P. Møller Foundation has donated a generous donation to securing the future of the kunsthalle by adding new facilities while also restoring the original architecture of the historic house. In 2014, exactly a century has gone by since the building was moved to its current location at Østerport in Copenhagen and on November 14, the new part of one of Europe’s oldest artists’ houses will be completed and we will be opening up this new version of the house to the public.
Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art was founded in 1898 by the artists association Den Frie Udstilling, who still owns the house today. The building was drawn by famous Danish painter J.F. Willumsen and has played a significant role in Danish and Scandinavian art history as the artists’ own house. Today it is listed and considered to be a unique architectonical masterpiece, showcasing new, experimental contemporary art, both Danish and international.
The rebuilding began in 2013 with the demolition of an extension building from the 1950s. The extension blocked the view of the original house from the back and was removed to restore the sculpturesque arts and crafts-inspired wooden pavilion to its original form. Following this a completely new sublevel beneath the existing building has now been added. This new level will house a new exhibition room with storage space, a bookshop, a dissemination room, a meeting room and not least of all a café. A temporary garden is currently being constructed, but in two years a permanent garden around the house will be completed, giving the inhabitants and visitors of Copenhagen a new and inviting, green urban space close to the centre of Copenhagen.
The new level will have free entrance and will thereby function as an extension of the public space inviting everybody inside to see exhibitions with some of the most prominent contemporary artists. The first exhibition in the new exhibition room, also to be opening on November 14 is with renowned American artist Susan Hiller.
The architect of the extension is MAA PhD, Bente Lange, one of Denmark’s foremost restoration architects, working within the field of listed buildings. The result reflects a great understanding of and care for both the essence and the details of the house while still providing the house with facilities that makes Den Frie better suited for meeting the demands of today and tomorrow. The new exhibition room will enable Den Frie to show other types of exhibitions and equally important, the conditions for the audience will be vastly improved with functional and beautiful new premises.
For further info, please contact:
Project Coordinator Anders Bo Schreiner: abs [at] denfrie.dk / T (+45) 20 99 31 99
Director of Development Malene Natascha Ratcliffe: mnr [at] denfrie.dk / T (+45) 26 71 88 82
