The exhibition Collection Favourites brings together a selection of works that hold a special place in the ARoS Collection. These are works that have helped shape the museum’s history over the years, and which many visitors may recognise from previous visits.
„Since opening in 2004, large-scale installation art has been central to our identity at ARoS – something that has now been further emphasised with the recent opening of James Turrell’s monumental Skyspace. Collection Favourites brings together a number of the defining works that have become part of many visitors‘ memories and that we hope will continue to inspire new audiences. We are also delighted to welcome Ron Mueck’s extraordinary Couple Under an Umbrella to ARoS, adding an important new dimension to this presentation of the collection,“ says Museum Director Rebecca Matthews.
In addition to works from ARoS’s own collection, you can experience the lifelike sculpture Couple Under an Umbrella (2013) created by the Australian artist Ron Mueck, who is also the creator of Boy (1999). Couple Under an Umbrella depicts an elderly couple under a sunshade, created in exactly twice life-size and with hyper-realistic precision. The sculpture is on loan to ARoS from September to March from Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands, which in return is borrowing Boy for its 10th-anniversary exhibition Celebrating the Icons of Art during the same period.
You can also experience works by Tony Matelli (b. 1971), Asger Jorn (1914–1973), Hanne Nielsen (b. 1958) and Birgit Johnsen (b. 1959), Michael Kvium (b. 1955), Wes Lang (b. 1972), Banaan Al-Nasser (b. 1982), Rory Macbeth (b. 1968) and Erik A. Frandsen (b. 1957) – artists whose works are rarely shown together, as they require specific spaces and conditions. The exhibition features works across media such as sculpture, printmaking, video, ceramics and photography.
„With Collection Favourites, we are presenting iconic installation works from our collection, all of which have an immediate appeal. The works also share the common feature of creating experiences where the familiar can feel new. Several of the works invite you to be active, and the exhibition includes both quiet moments and more confrontational narratives,“ says Anne Mette Thomsen, Head of ARoS’s Collection and Exhibition Management.
Exhibition: Collection Favourites, curated by Anne Mette Thomsen
Exhibition duration: 2 September 2026 to 29 August 2027
Address and contact:
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
Aros Allé 2, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
www.aros.dk