From Skagen painters to Damien Hirst
On 26 January 2008 the new ARKEN is opening. The premiere exhibitions offer new light on the Skagen painters, a solo show with the bright young thing Andreas Golder and not least: A new hanging of ARKEN’s Collection, now for the first time exhibited permanently and including a unique Damien Hirst room.
At last! After 2½ years of construction ARKEN can open wide its doors to the new extension. 5,000 m2 of exhibition space will be the end result – twice as much as now, making ARKEN one of Denmark’s biggest museums. The new ARKEN will continue the course of shedding new light on the classic modern art. At the same time the focus on contemporary art will be intensified through both special exhibitions and a permanent exhibition of the museum’s collection.

New light on the Skagen painters
THE SKAGEN PAINTERS – In a New Light is the title of one of ARKEN’s inaugural exhibitions. This exhibition presents 136 works by the famed artists, including seven newly restored festive cartoons by P.S. Krøyer which have never before been on display. Several of the works are privately held, many abroad, and thus rarely available to the public. Others are found in museums outside of Denmark. One of those is Krøyer’s famous Hip, Hip, Hurra! Artists’ Party (1888). The painting, voted top favourite in an art canon in 2005 by the readers of Berlingske Tidende, usually hangs in the Göteborg Museum of Art. Now for a while it is coming home to Denmark.
The Skagen painters yearned to portray their own time and the reality surrounding them. The well-known paintings are perceived by many as authentic testimonies of the life and beauty of bygone days. But what is truth and what is myth? ARKEN’s exhibition goes behind the myths and reveals how the Skagen painters stage themselves and their surroundings: In self-portraits with champagne and elegant attire they increase their social status as free, partying bohemians. Whereas the fishermen are presented as their opposites: Brave, strong heroes of the everyday – original people in harmony with nature, far from the modern metropolis. This is the first time that an exhibition underscores the Skagen painters as attestants in this manner.

International talent in solo show
The Skagen painters exhibition is on display in the museum’s new extension which will also hold ARKEN’s other opening exhibition with the young new talent Andreas Golder. Only 28, Golder is already a fixture in Berlin’s vibrant and creative artist milieu. He is regarded as a real wunderkind and is well under way in the art world. However, the ARKEN exhibition is his first solo show in a museum. This may very well become the artist’s international breakthrough.
The ANDREAS GOLDER exhibition presents 31 works, including a number of brand new paintings that Golder has painted specially for ARKEN’s exhibition.

Unique Damien Hirst room
The new ARKEN now has a total of 5,000 m² of galleries. This means that ARKEN can show the biggest ever presentation of its collection.
One of the high points is a unique Damien Hirst room. Hirst is one the absolutely seminal artists on the international scene of contemporary art. With eight key works, several of them on permanent loan from the Dresing Collection in London, ARKEN’s visitors will see a presentation of the artist’s works that is unique in Scandinavia. Among the exhibited works is the eight metres long The Four Elements (Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, Green and Blue) (2005) which consists of four vivid paintings with real butterflies affixed to them.
- The collection is the museum’s soul. It is the backbone of our activities. This is where our view on art is unfolded, where we can really research and contribute new insights, says Christian Gether.
– However, since the inception of the museum we have lacked exhibition space for the collection. Now we are finally getting that space. The entirety of our current galleries – except the new extension – will be devoted to it. It is wonderful and very necessary.
ARKEN’s Collection ranks among the most significant collections of contemporary art in the Danish museum world. Since the opening in 1996 it has grown rapidly. It is a milestone in the museum’s history that it is now possible to present it in an extensive and permanent display. And the museum has deliberately saved the new acquisitions and donations for “the premiere”.