The exhibition comprised 140 titles constituting all art forms from film, photography and oil painting to sculpture and mechanical installations. On loan from Danish and foreign museums, galleries and collectors. The intention of the exhibition was to present artists’ use of the body as subject and material throughout the past fifty years, pointing out aspects of the human existence both universal and characteristic to the period. Artists included Francis Bacon, Germaine Richier, Duane Hanson, Tom Wesselmann, Yves Klein, Valie Export, Ana Mendieta, Mona Hatoum, Robert Gober, Louise Bourgeois, Bill Viola, Jana Sterbak, Nancy Burson, Orlan and Stelarc.

A Catalogue (combined Danish/English, colour illustrations, 232 pages) with contributions by Christian Gether, Margit Zuckriegl, Katy Deepwell, Stine Høholt and Gert Balling was published to accompanythe exhibition. Each article dealt with the body’s role in art in themes corresponding to one of the past five decades.

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Collection Artist(s)

Glossary

  • Film

    A transparent, flexible plastic material, usually of cellulose acetate or polyester, on which light-sensitive emulsion is coated, or on which an image can be formed by various transfer processes.

  • Oil

    A medium in which ground pigments are mixed to produce a paste or liquid that can be applied to a surface by a brush or other tool; the most common oil used by artists is linseed, this can be thinned with turpentine spirit to produce a thinner and more fluid paint. The oil dries with a hard film, and the brightness of the colour is protected. Oil paints are usually opaque and traditionally used on canvas.

  • Painting

    Work of art made with paint on a surface. Often the surface, also called a support, is a tightly stretched piece of canvas, paper or a wooden panel. Painting involves a wide range of techniques and materials, along with the artist's intellectual concerns effecting the content of a work.

  • Sculpture

    A three-dimensional work of art. Such works may be carved, modelled, constructed, or cast. Sculptures can also be described as assemblage, in the round, relief, and made in a huge variety of media. Contemporary practice also includes live elements, as in Gilbert & George 'Living Sculpture' as well as broadcast work, radio or sound sculpture.