Kunsten occupies a white marble building designed by Finnish architects Alvar and Elissa Aalto with Danish architect Jean-Jacques Baruël, chosen through a Nordic competition in 1958 and opened in 1972. The galleries were conceived as a light machine, using roof lanterns to draw even northern daylight across the walls. The collection runs to roughly 1,500 works covering Danish and international art from the early twentieth century onwards, with changing exhibitions alongside. The grounds include a sculpture park, an amphitheatre and a dedicated children’s museum, and there is a café on site. Admission is charged, with annual membership offering free entry. The museum lies about twenty minutes’ walk south-west of the centre.
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