Kunstmuseum Brandts

About the museum

The museum uses the buildings of the Brandts Klædefabrik in the center of Odense. Its origin is a dye works that operated from 1744 on Vestergade and later passed to the Brandt family. In 1869 Morten Kisbye Brandt and his sons expanded the business into a cloth factory, which, with up to 250 employees, was among the city's major employers. Foreign competition and the oil crisis led to its closure at the end of 1977.

Instead of being demolished, the complex was converted into a cultural center from 1982 to 1986 according to plans by Kristian Isager and Jørgen Stærmose. In January 1987 the Kunsthal Brandts Klædefabrik and the Museet for Fotokunst moved in; between 2000 and 2004, extensions by Kjær & Richter were added, with a seven-meter-high exhibition hall and a new entrance to Grønnegade.

In 2013 the art hall, the photography museum, and Fyns Kunstmuseum merged to form Kunstmuseum Brandts; a few years later all exhibitions were united in the former factory. The independent, state-recognized museum shows, on four floors, Danish art from the 18th century to the present, photographic art from its international collection, and changing exhibitions. A permanent feature is the sensory exhibition for children, which is new every year.

Highlights

• Collection with 250 years of Danish art from Jens Juel to the present
• Works by H.A. Brendekilde, Vilhelm Hammershøi, and Anna Ancher, among others
• Sculptures and plaster casts on the first floor
• International photography collection from the former Museet for Fotokunst
• Annual sensory exhibition for children
• Industrial architecture of the cloth factory from 1869

Permanent exhibitions

• Samlingen – 250 års dansk kunst – Chronological walk through Danish art from the late 18th century through the Golden Age and modernism to recent acquisitions, supplemented by sculptures on the first floor.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Kunstmuseum Brandts (selbstständige Institution)

Director

Stine Høholt

Visitors per year

approx. 95,267 (2017)

Admission & discounts

Regular admission includes the sensory exhibition. For it, a timed booking is required on weekends, public holidays, and during school holidays (online or on site, as long as places are available).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is spread over five floors reachable by elevators; loan wheelchairs are available in the museum shop. AutismGoTo offers a social presentation of the museum for people with autism. Animals are not allowed, service dogs welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities

Annually changing sensory exhibition to touch and join in, as well as a creative family workshop; own family programs during the holidays. Personal strollers are not allowed in the exhibitions (storage space at the coat check, loan buggy at the ticket desk, no buggies in the sensory exhibition). Baby changing areas on most floors, breastfeeding possible in the café.

Getting there & parking

The entrance is at the end of Brandts Passage at the Amfipladsen, reachable from Grønnegade, Kongestien, and Pantheonsgade.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Art café Brandts on the first floor with cake, salads, sandwiches, and smørrebrød as well as seating at the Amfipladsen. Room for packed lunches brought by families and institutions. Only small bags are allowed in the exhibitions; large bags go to the coat check with lockable boxes. Museum shop on the first floor.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 180 guests.

Skulptursalen (fourth floor, up to 120 people at tables or 180 in rows) and Kunstpausen (second floor, up to 40 or 60 people) with a view over Odense; basic packages with art education, admission, and technology from DKK 6,000, catering can be added. Outside opening hours, additional staff costs apply.

Plan your visit