Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Centre creates an entirely new opportunity in the coming years to develop research on the artist at a high level of ambition

The sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen (1863–1945) was a pioneer. As the first woman in the world, she carried out the most prestigious commissions of the sculptural profession; a monumental equestrian statue of a king and bronze doors for a cathedral. She left her mark on public space, achieved international success, and attained a remarkable status in her own time, both as an artist and as a woman. At once monumental, yet with sculptures that vibrate with life. In her hands, clay, bronze, plaster, and wax are transformed into organic forms in which human and nature merge, challenging our perceptions of hierarchy and authority and of the relationship between body and world. 

Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen is one of Denmark’s most significant sculptors and the best-preserved historical female sculptor in both a Danish and international context. Her extensive body of work and personal archive constitute a unique source for research with relevance far beyond the artist’s own production. 

Museum Odense holds the majority of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen’s works and personal materials. Despite growing national and international interest in the artist, there has until now been no permanent, research-based structure capable of uniting collection, research, dissemination, and international collaboration. 

The centre has been established to meet this need through a long-term initiative that balances traditional art-historical and cultural-historical approaches with innovative, cross-aesthetic, and digital formats. As a centre of knowledge and a resource for researchers, curators, and cultural institutions, its aim is to create a lasting and forward-thinking position for the artist in both a Danish and international public sphere, and to realize interdisciplinary collaborations, both internally across the three cultural profiles represented in Museum Odense’s collections (Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, Carl Nielsen, and Hans Christian Andersen), as well as externally across disciplines and institutions. 

The centre addresses researchers, students, and an art-interested public alike, and functions as a platform where new research meets public dissemination both in Denmark and abroad.

Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Centre

Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen (1863–1945) is one of Denmark’s most significant sculptors and the best-preserved historical female sculptor in both a Danish and international context. Her extensive body of work and personal archive constitute a unique research source with relevance far beyond the artist’s own production. 

Museum Odense holds the majority of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen’s works and personal records. Despite growing national and international interest in the artist, no permanent, research-based structure has previously existed to unite collection, research, outreach, and international collaborations. 

The centre has been established to meet this need through a long-term effort that balances traditional art and cultural-historical approaches with innovative, cross-aesthetic and digital formats, and is tasked with researching, communicating, acquiring, and preserving Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen’s artistic legacy. This is achieved both through local integration within Museum Odense, as well as international collaborations with foreign museums, universities, embassies, and cultural institutions. The goal is to ensure Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen’s presence in international art history writing, as well as a national grounding.

Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Centre shall: 

    • conduct research that positions the artist in a contemporary and international context 
    • ensure coherence between collection, research, and outreach 
    • build and maintain strong networks and partnerships nationally and internationally 
    • develop innovative outreach formats, both physical and digital 
    • ensure that Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen is inscribed in international art history writing 

Research Strategy for Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Centre 2025–2030 

The research strategy aligns with Museum Odense’s overarching strategy but is adapted to the centre’s smaller scale and five-year time horizon. The structure of the strategy is built around the same main sections: purpose, principles, strategic choices, organisation, research content, and dissemination, with a clear connection to the centre description. 

See the full research strategy here 

By 2030, the centre is a permanent, internationally recognised centre of excellence for research into Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen and related fields of art and cultural history. The centre is known for: 

    • its ability to connect the close examination of sculptural materials, surfaces and process, with digital formats that make this knowledge accessible to the public 
    • its role as a centre of knowledge and resource for researchers, curators, and cultural institutions 
    • having created a lasting and innovative presence for the artist in both Danish and international context 
    • having realised interdisciplinary collaborations, both internally across the three cultural profiles represented in Museum Odense’s collection (Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, Carl Nielsen, and Hans Christian Andersen), and externally across disciplines and institutions 

Coming soon.

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