• On September 9th 2009 HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors in a new building designed by the American architect Steven Holl.
• Seen from above, HEART looks like a collection of shirt sleeves.
• The structure of the building is inspired by the textile history of the area and the former home of Herning Museum of Art in an old shirt factory.
• HEART is located in Birk Centerpark in the eastern part of Herning.
• The collection holds Danish and international conceptual and experimental art from the 1930s till today.
• The Italian artist Piero Manzoni holds a central position in HEART’s collection. Additionally, the collection consists of works by, among others, Paul Gadegaard, Ingvar Cronhammar, Bjørn Nørgaard, John Kørner and Troels Wörsel.
• Aage Damgaard paved the way for the art adventure of Herning with his strong interest in art. He would invite artists to develop their art at the shirt factory Angli and art and production melted together creating synergies of unique character. Paul Gadegaard was employed as a “house artist” for more than 10 years and turned an entire factory into a work of art called The Black Factory.
• HEART shows two special exhibitions every year.
• HEART houses the world’s largest collection of works from the italian conceptual artist, Piero Manzoni, who was invited to live in Herning I 1960 and ’61 by Aage Damgaard, and left behind 37 works of art.
• One of the main works from Manzonis hand is “Socle du Monde” – The bedrock of the world. HEARTS’s biennale, the oldest in Denmark, is named after this piece.
• The 2017-edition “Socle du Monde Biennale 2017 – to challenge the Earth, The Moon, the Sun & the Stars” is currently showing until august 27th.
A little extra
The museums full name is a mouthful to say and a mindful to remember. To give the organisation a more human and emotional touch, a name that truly reflects the identity and the mission was made. Herning + Art = HEART.