Summer exhibitions in Copenhagen

In Michelangelo Imperfect visitors to Copenhagen can step into the mind of a genius and witness the most ambitious Michelangelo exhibition in over 150 years, and the largest ever staged in Denmark at The National Gallery of Denmark (SMK). Featuring 36 reproductions of his most iconic sculptures, this SMK-exhibition brings together masterpieces that could never be gathered in one place otherwise. 

But this isn’t just about perfection. It’s about the beauty of the unfinished, the raw, and the human. Alongside the sculptures, you’ll find original drawings, rare documents, and 3D recreations that reveal Michelangelo’s struggles, doubts, and brilliance. 

This summer, the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) presents Recycle! The exhibition that challenges the way we think about architecture, sustainability, and aesthetics. At a time when the building industry is one of the world’s largest contributors to climate change, Recycle! offers a hopeful and creative alternative: Build less, Reuse more.

Gauguin & Kihara – First Impressions invites visitors at Glyptoteket to see Paul Gauguin’s legacy through a contemporary lens. By placing Gauguin’s iconic works in dialogue with a video installation by interdisciplinary artist Yuki Kihara, the exhibition explores how art can shape and challenge cultural narratives.

While at Glyptoteket, make sure to also see the other summer excibition Degas’ Obsession. A exhibition focused on a single, mysterious painting by Edgar Degas. With ghostly overpainted figures and dramatic tonal shifts, the work has puzzled experts for decades. Now, new research offer glimpse into the mind of Degas who never stopped reworking his vision. 

In the summer of 2025 Copenhagen Contemporary (CC) launches CC Create with a spectacular debut: a total installation by world-renowned British artist Monster Chetwynd. Known for their wild, DIY aesthetic and theatrical flair, Chetwynd transforms CC’s Hall 4 into a chaotic, colorful universe where art, play, and performance collide.

CC Create x Monster Chetwynd is an open studio, th hands-on workshops, guided activities, and a spirit of joyful experimentation, this is a space where everyone can unleash their inner monster.

At Kunsthal Charlottenborg, the future of art takes center stage. This summer, MFA Degree Show 2025 presents the bold visions of graduating students from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Discover  a wide array of materials and formats, from photography, sculpture, and painting to sound, video, and performance. The exhibition offers a glimpse into the next wave of contemporary art, and captures a moment where education ends and artistic careers begin. 

The Power of Print at Designmuseum Denmark is a vibrant and immersive exhibition celebrating a century of Danish textile printing. From the early 20th century to today, textile printing has shaped the identity of Danish interiors and fashion. The Power of Print highlights the pioneering work of female textile artists, alongside contemporary talents. 

This summer Sophienholm presents The Cute. The family-friendly excibition explores how the concept of cuteness, often associated with Japanese Kawaii culture and American pop aesthetics, can also be understood through a Nordic lens. Featuring works by 12 contemporary artists from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and beyond, the exhibition asks whether there is such a thing as a “Nordic cute”, and how this aesthetic reflects cultural norms and power structures. 

Just north of Copenhagen, Rungstedlund is the historic home of author Karen Blixen. Surrounded by nature, it now houses the Karen Blixen Museum, where visitors can explore her preserved interiors, personal belongings, and the surrounding park and bird sanctuary.

This summer, visitors can experience The Fleeting Hour, a poetic photo installation by Danish artist Astrid Kruse Jensen. Printed on textile and glass, the dreamlike images reimagine Blixen’s home, blurring the boundaries between memory and presence, past and present. 

In this family-friendly exhibition, With Pressure On: RememberMyName, The Kastrupgård Collection presents the first major retrospective of Danish graffiti artist RememberMyName (HuskMitNavn)’s graphic work. 

Gaining recognition in the early 2000s for his distinctive street art across Copenhagen, always signed with his memorable pseudom, RememberMyName has become known for his humorous and imaginative portrayals of everyday life, using wit and creativity to reveal the absurdities of the daily routines of "ordinary people". 

Beneath the Baltic Sea lie over 100,000 shipwrecks, spanning from the Middle Ages to today. This summer, the Danish Maritime Museum invites visitors to dive into these forgotten echoes of the deep. The exhibition Enigmas of the Baltic Sea – Echoes from the Deep reveals centuries of maritime history, with remarkably preserved wrecks offering a rare insight into the past.