Danish National Art Library

Danish National Art Library
Name	Danish National Art Library
Native name	Kunstbiblioteket
Established	1754
Location	Copenhagen, Denmark
Collection size	over 500,000 items
Director	(various)
Website	(official website)

Danish National Art Library

The Danish National Art Library is a major research library in Copenhagen specializing in architecture, visual arts, design, crafts, and art history. It supports scholars, practitioners, and the public with extensive holdings of books, periodicals, drawings, prints, and archival materials related to Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, and other Nordic cultural institutions. The library is integral to collections connected to figures such as C. F. Hansen, Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Henning Larsen, and houses materials associated with events like the Copenhagen Exhibition (1888) and movements such as Danish Modern.

History

The library traces its roots to 1754 through associations with the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Frederik V of Denmark, and early patrons including Johan Ludvig Heiberg and Nicolai Abildgaard. During the 19th century it acquired works related to Nicolai Steno collections and exchanges with institutions like the British Museum, Louvre, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Uffizi, and Rijksmuseum. The modern institution expanded in the 20th century alongside collaborations with architects P. V. Jensen-Klint, Kaare Klint, Arne Jacobsen, and Finn Juhl, and acquired archives from photographers like Frederik Riise and designers such as Hans Wegner. World War II and the German occupation influenced preservation efforts paralleling activities at Statens Museum for Kunst, Nationalmuseet, and other Scandinavian libraries including Kungliga Biblioteket, National Library of Norway, and Ateneo de Madrid exchanges. Postwar growth saw partnerships with European projects connected to ICOM, EAAE, Benelux Cultural Cooperation, and collections from patrons like Jacobsen family, Georg Jensen, and Lego Group donations of design ephemera.

Collections

Holdings include monographs, serials, pamphlets, exhibition catalogues, and rare manuscripts related to architects C. F. Hansen, Vilhelm Dahlerup, Martin Nyrop, and Vilhelm Lauritzen; designers Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen, Kaare Klint, Hans J. Wegner, Børge Mogensen; artists Peder Severin Krøyer, Vilhelm Hammershøi, Edvard Munch, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, and Anna Ancher. The print and drawing collections feature works by Rembrandt, Albrecht Dürer, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Gustave Doré, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso in relation to Scandinavian reception. Photographic archives include materials by Jacob Riis, Peter Henningsen, Thora Fiedler, and Astrid Kruse Jensen. The library preserves architectural drawings, blueprints, and treatises connected to Andrea Palladio, Gottfried Semper, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Nordic practitioners like Alvar Aalto. Special collections hold letters and papers of patrons and critics including Vilhelm Rosenstand, Georg Brandes, Ludvig Fenger, and curatorial records from Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and SMK. Rare books include editions by Johann Gutenberg, Aldus Manutius, William Caxton, and illustrated volumes by Gustave Doré, John James Audubon, and Jules Chéret. The library also collects periodicals such as Bauhaus, De Stijl, Domus, Architectural Review, and Scandinavian titles like Skønvirke.

Services and Access

The library provides reference services to researchers affiliated with Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Aarhus School of Architecture, Copenhagen University, and independent scholars. It offers interlibrary loan arrangements with British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Biblioteca Nacional de España, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, and Library of Congress. Digital services include digitized maps, plans, and photography in collaboration with Europeana, DigitaltMuseum, and national digitization efforts with Statens Arkiver. Users can consult archives from architects such as Henning Larsen Architects, C.F. Møller Architects, and design studios including Georg Jensen A/S under supervised reading-room conditions. Educational outreach networks connect with Designmuseum Danmark, Arken Museum of Modern Art, and higher-education programs at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture.

Building and Location

Located in Copenhagen near landmarks like Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Christiansborg Palace, and adjacent to campuses of Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Copenhagen Business School, the library occupies heritage premises reflecting 19th-century Copenhagen architecture by designers such as Vilhelm Dahlerup and updates by architects Henning Larsen and Mogens Boertmann. Its reading rooms are sited close to collections at Statens Museum for Kunst and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, facilitating scholarly visits to archives from expeditions like those of A.G. Nathorst and collectors tied to Carl Frederik Tietgen.

Administration and Governance

The institution operates within frameworks tied to Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts governance and coordinates with Danish cultural bodies including Kulturministeriet, Kulturstyrelsen, and heritage institutions like Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen. Its administration liaises with international organizations such as IFLA, ICOMOS, and research councils including Danish Research Council for the Humanities and partnerships with universities like University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University. Funding historically derived from royal patronage, municipal support from Copenhagen Municipality, and private foundations including Carlsberg Foundation, A.P. Møller Foundation, and Realdania.

Exhibitions and Outreach

The library curates exhibitions on themes featuring figures such as Bertel Thorvaldsen, Vilhelm Hammershøi, L.A. Ring, Edvard Munch, and designers like Arne Jacobsen and Poul Henningsen, collaborating with museums such as Statens Museum for Kunst, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, and Designmuseum Danmark. Outreach programs engage with schools, cultural festivals like Copenhagen Architecture Festival, and international conferences including UIA World Congress of Architects and European Architectural History Network events. Traveling exhibitions have been mounted in cooperation with institutions like Rijksmuseum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to showcase Danish art and design history.

Category:Libraries in Denmark Category:Art libraries