Enjoy one of Denmark's oldest galleries of modern art, with regularly changing exhibitions. Galerie Moderne opened in 1962, and with exhibition space covering 600m², the gallery is one of the largest in the Nordic region. Take a piece of Danish artwork home, explore the fascinating exhibits, and learn about the CoBrA group art collective at this wonderful cultural center in Silkeborg.
The CoBrA movement
The gallery has exhibited artists from the CoBrA movement since 1962 and is the only gallery in Denmark that's had direct contact with these artists. The CoBrA group was a short-lived but highly influential artist collective formed in Paris. The group is named for the three northern European cities that its founders originated from: Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. There were approximately thirty members, who became known for their rebellious style of painting that was heavily inspired by art from children and the mentally ill. CoBrA artists used some of the techniques of New York School style of the same era, with intuitive methods and vibrant colors. Yet CoBrA art was more political, and as citizens of three cities that were formerly under Nazi occupation, more sensitive to the huge devastation of the European cities and people after World War II. This democratic approach to viewing and making art was inspired by and further expanded what we now call Outsider Art (work made by untrained artists, especially children and the mentally ill), a serious movement in its own right.
Popular exhibitions since 1962
In 1960, Willy Omme decided to create a gallery of modern art. In April 1962, his dream became reality and was visited by Silkeborg's world-renowned artist Asger Jorn. The gallery holds around six to eight exhibitions a year and a similar amount in other galleries and museums, nationally and internationally. Artists exhibited include founder members of CoBrA Asger Jorn, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Karel Appel, Corneille, and Henry Heerup. The gallery has exhibited at the Art Cologne Art Fair in Cologne since 1994 and participates in Art Copenhagen and Art Herning every year. The gallery has an exhibition area of 600m² as well as its own framing workshop on site. It sells pieces by CoBrA artists, with artwork available for every budget. Art books are also available from the shop, so even if you don't pick up a piece of art, you can still bring home a reminder of the beautiful and challenging art that's on display at the Galerie Moderne in Silkeborg.
