The Danish Pavilion
- Photo: Arch. Troels Bruun
The Danish Pavilion in Giardini di Castello has for a number of years provided the framework for the Danish exhibitions at the Venice Biennial.
At the first biennials, the entire international exhibition was housed at Pallazzo d’ Esposizione where also Denmark was represented. In 1907, the biennial had however grown to a size larger than what the original exhibition venue could hold, and during the ensuing years a number of countries began the construction of their national exhibition venues in the park, Giardini di Castello, surrounding Pallazzo d’ Esposizione. Since then, the buildings have spread beyond the park. Among the first countries to construct their own pavilions were Belgium, Hungary, Germany and France.
Only during the early 1930s, the Danish Ministry of Education began to consider a Danish exhibition venue in Venice. The Architect Carl Brummer was appointed to the task, and during a visit to Venice he was assigned the beautiful and prominent site near the entrance to the Giardini di Castello, where the Danish pavilion is still situated today.
- Drawing: Arch. Troels Bruun
Carl Brummer’s Danish pavilion was finished in 1931 and was inaugurated at the opening of the 18th biennial in 1932. The building was constructed in bricks and plastered, and it consists of a large rectangular room with light coming in from above. From the outside, its appearance is dominated by the row of limestone columns along the entire original façade.
During the post-war years, the requirements such as regarding the size of the Danish Pavilion began to change, and it was necessary to conceive a new solution. For some time, it was considered demolishing the existing building and instead participating in the project to establish a common Nordic pavilion. However it was decided to extend the existing building. The architect Peter Koch was commissioned for the task in 1960.
Peter Koch’s approach to the task was radically different from Carl Brummer’s, and his unpretentious and functional extension, constructed in yellow bricks with a flat roof, is accused of being discordant with the original building. Particularly seen from what is now the rear entrance, where Brummer’s impressive colonnade dominates, the overall impression may seem confusing. Seen from the inside, the two buildings are however quite harmonically adjusted to each other, and innumerable exhibiting artists have over the years understood how to appreciate the qualities of the building as an exhibition space.