Carl Nielsen & Anne Marie Carl-Nielsens Grant 2026

The Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Grant is Denmark’s largest honorary art award and is presented every other year in recognition of artists whose work has made a significant contribution to contemporary sculpture. Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen was among the most important sculptors of her time and part of the circle surrounding the founders of Den Frie in 1893. She exhibited regularly with the association for more than five decades and helped pave the way for new artistic movements.

The close connection between Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen and Den Frie remains at the heart of the recurring exhibition accompanying the Grant, which traditionally presents works by the honoured artists. This year, Malene Bjelke, Olafur Eliasson, Uffe Isolotto, Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Pernille With Madsen and Pia Rönicke each take over one of Den Frie’s galleries with presentations spanning key works and new commissions created for the occasion.

The exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the artists’ individual practices and offers insight into six significant artistic careers that, through widely differing approaches, have expanded and challenged the conventions of sculpture. Obsolete telephones receive unexplained calls; a light-filtering intervention in the architecture of Den Frie; marble slabs and concrete reliefs; mammoth and narwhal tusks surrounded by shimmering silver curtains; monuments to bodies that rarely occupy the pedestal; and collages and video works composed of newspaper clippings are just some of the experiences awaiting visitors to this year’s exhibition. Together, these six artistic practices reflect the breadth and diversity of approaches, materials and lines of inquiry shaping sculpture today.

Exhibiting award recipients 2026

Uffe Isolotto

Pernille With Madsen

Olafur Eliasson

Henrik Plenge Jakobsen

Malene Bjelke

Pia Rönicke