When the students showed up for the first day of classes after the summer break in 2014, their school was slightly more colourful than when they left. After a dialogue about art with the New Carlsberg Foundation, Grenaa Gymnasium, which already has pictures and sculptures on permanent loan from both the New Carlsberg Foundation and the Danish Arts Foundation, had acquired several works of art from the foundation’s store.
Grenaa Gymnasium, which was inaugurated in 1961 and expanded in 1973, was designed by the architects Gravers and Richter, who sought to avoid long corridors. Therefore the rooms, especially in the 1973 extension, consistently face large open areas featuring a library, a canteen, a study room etc., which are placed at a lower level than the classrooms. As a result, most locations in the building afford unimpeded views of the entire building and its walls – and thus highly unique conditions for hanging art.
Hanne Marie Jensen from the school’s art committee says,
‘In cooperation with the New Carlsberg Foundation, we have sought to find the best locations for the new works of art with regard to lighting, architecture and the existing works of art. It seems impossible and unfair to single out any of the many works of art we now have. But obviously, Cai Ulrich von Platen’s three by seven-metre painting has been given a central placement where its impact leaves no one untouched. It’s a painting with an unreal and almost scary space, full of odd figures, which constantly invites new narratives – an invitation that many instantly accept.’
Apart from exposing the students to art on a daily basis, the school also welcomes outside visitors who come here to learn more about the art on display, among them the Grenaa Rotary club. The school is also involved in an art event organized by the university extramural department, says Hanne Marie Jensen.
‘Both the new and the old works of art inspire many productive talks at the school, confirming the capacity of art to speak to everybody and spark the interesting conversations that good art always inspires.’
In addition to Cai Ulrich von Platen’s painting, Grenaa Gymnasium also has works on permanent loan by Nils Erik Gjerdevik, Katharina Grosse, Per Ahlmann, Eva Steen Christensen, Torben Christensen, Anette Harboe Flensburg, Jørgen Hansen, Gudrun Hasle, Nina Hole, Marianne Jørgensen, Jette Gejl Kristensen, Christian Lemmerz, Kehnet Nielsen and Jesper Rasmussen.
