Dansk Plakatmuseum

The Danish Poster Museum in Aarhus is the world's largest collection of its kind and the only museum in Denmark devoted entirely to poster art. Its founder, the visual artist Peder Stougaard, began collecting posters from a variety of sources in the early 1970s, which eventually led to the founding of the museum in 1981. After years of searching for a suitable location, the museum opened in 2009 in a new building at the open-air museum Den Gamle By. Designed by C. F. Møller Architects, the building offers 800 square meters of exhibition space, divided between the modern new structure and a reconstructed historic pavilion from 1909. The architecture is functional, with bright walls and partly glazed roofs that let in natural light and show the exhibits to their best advantage.

Today the collection comprises around 200,000 posters from 126 countries, the oldest dating from 1880. On the ground floor, you'll find rotating special exhibitions on topics such as World War II, the hippie movement, or individual artists. The first floor houses a permanent exhibition of classic Danish posters from the 19th and 20th centuries. Artists on permanent display include Henry Heerup, Bjørn Wiinblad, and the collective Røde Mor. A special focus is placed on the role of the poster in the 1960s and 1970s, when it became an important medium of political protest against the Vietnam War and social norms. The collection also looks at the influential poster art from Eastern European countries, where censorship led to the development of a sophisticated visual language.

Although most of the holdings are kept in storage for reasons of space and preservation, the museum's annual special exhibitions offer a varied look at the history of graphic art. The presentations range from commercial advertising and political appeals to purely artistic works. The museum documents not only the aesthetic evolution of the poster but also its social role as a tool of communication and resistance. If you're interested in graphic design, art history, or political culture, a visit is a chance to discover the versatility and cultural influence of this medium in an architecturally appealing setting.