Art on the Table!

A classic genre revisited In the museum's major historical exhibition in 2026, we take on a classic of art history: still life. A genre that holds both great emotions and quiet lives, extravagant lifestyles and decay. The exhibition presents 400 years of art, from the symbol-laden images of the 1600s to the playful interpretations of today. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are invited to explore the many symbols in the works, the lavish flowers and the rooms without people.

The many meanings of things We surround ourselves with things. Things can have many meanings for us. They may be beautiful objects, a dinner service used for guests, objects of sentimental value, but they can also be many of the same things, something that forms a collection. Most of us have possessions that mean more to us than others. What we choose for ourselves can even say something about who we are as people. Quite simply, things help us find our bearings in a large world.

In the still life genre, artists paint things of many kinds. In 1600s Europe it was important to display wealth and status in step with society's economic upswing, which is why artful objects such as large silver platters, glass arrangements, gold and jewellery are often seen. The historical still life also shows expensive foods, large cuts of meat, game and glistening fish, often together with the utensils for preparing them. It is thus a matter of showing off a lifestyle.

Later in art history, the focus shifts from the almost impossibly beautiful to the more everyday, which culminated with modernism in the 1900s. Here it was considered right to remove everything unnecessary and instead show what is real, perhaps even the poverty of life in a changeable, crisis-ridden world. Between the 1600s and the 1900s we see great contrasts and forms of conveying the reality that surrounds us all. In the exhibition we give visitors the chance to also see today's reworkings of a classic genre. Here some contemporary artists draw on a strong inspiration and connection with the art of earlier times, while others make entirely their own work and unfold striking impressions into the physical space.

A collaboration The exhibition is created in collaboration with Nivaagaards Malerisamling, which gives a unique opportunity to let two important Danish museum collections enter into dialogue with each other. From Nivaagaards Malerisamling, classic masterpieces from the 1600s can be seen, while the Kunstmuseum Brandts collection is especially characterised by major works within Danish modernism, which are shown here in full bloom. We also thank our colleagues in the Danish museum landscape for kindly lending works from their collections.