About The Art Library building at Charlottenborg in Nyhavn

The story of The Art Library (previously Denmark’s National Art Library) at Charlottenborg dates back to 1754. “Following the establishment of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1754, the academy’s library was founded as a school library in 1758.

The library was later housed in several locations at Charlottenborg before it moved to its current location in the Exhibition Building in 1883.

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ library was separated from the academy in 1996 and was given the name "Danmarks Kunstbibliotek" (The Danish National Art Library).

Facts about The Art Library at Charlottenborg

• The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts was established at Charlottenborg on 31 March 1754.
• In 1758, the academy’s library was established as a school library.
• The library was given its own premises in 1883 in the Exhibition Building (the current reading room).
• The Exhibition Building was designed by the architects Ferdinand Meldahl and Albert Jensen.
• In 2017, The Danish National Art Library merged with Royal Danish Library, but it is still housed in the beautiful building in the heart of Copenhagen.