HEART

About the museum

The roots of HEART lie in the Angli shirt factory in Birk near Herning. In the 1950s and 1960s its founder, Aage Damgaard, invited artists such as Piero Manzoni, Paul Gadegaard, Robert Jacobsen, Svend Wiig Hansen, and Carl-Henning Pedersen to work at the factory, offering them lodging, money, and a free hand. Many of the works created there entered his collection.

This collection became the Herning Kunstmuseum in 1977. On September 9, 2009, it moved into a new building by the American architect Steven Holl, opposite the former Angli factory, and has been called HEART – Herning Museum of Contemporary Art ever since. The building alludes to Herning's textile history: from above it resembles shirt sleeves, the concrete walls bear a fabric-like texture, and the vaulted ceilings look like stretched cloth. Two large exhibition halls offer around 1,670 square meters in total.

The collection includes a significant group of works by Piero Manzoni, created mainly during his stays in Herning in 1960 and 1961, Italian art and works of the ZERO movement, Denmark's largest collection of Paul Gadegaard and Ingvar Cronhammar, and contemporary Danish art. The collection is only shown in selected exhibitions; the program focuses mainly on changing exhibitions. Opposite the museum lies the sculpture park designed by C. Th. Sørensen, whose works belong to HEART.

Highlights

• Museum building by Steven Holl (2009) with allusions to the textile industry
• Significant collection of works by Piero Manzoni
• Denmark's largest collections of Paul Gadegaard and Ingvar Cronhammar
• Freely accessible sculpture park and Geometric Gardens by C. Th. Sørensen
• Socle du Monde – biennial of contemporary art

Permanent exhibitions

• Skulpturparken – Circular park opposite the museum, laid out in 1965 by Aage Damgaard and designed by C. Th. Sørensen, with 36 sculptures including works by Robert Jacobsen and Svend Wiig Hansen; free to enter.

Founded

1977

Director

Lise Pennington

Visitors per year

approx. 28,639 (2017)

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

Children and young people under 18 have free admission. Guided tours, workshops, and teaching materials are available for schools and kindergartens.

Getting there & parking

GPS address: Bitten & Aage Damgaards Plads 2, 7400 Herning.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

HEART Café with a terrace overlooking the park and reflecting pool, Tuesday through Sunday 11:00–16:00 (kitchen until 15:30), with brunch on weekends. Museum shop with design items and art books. Wi-Fi throughout the museum.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The HEART Café can be booked for private parties, conferences, and meetings (inquiries to the café).

Plan your visit