Modern Middle Ages – Agnes and Harald Slott-Møller at Frederiksborg Castle

The Middle Ages on Canvas

Large-scale paintings filled with people, dramatic scenes and stories from the Middle Ages await you in the exhibition. Meet figures such as Agnethe and the Merman, Margaret I and Queen Dagmar, alongside motifs from traditional ballads, biblical stories and Danish legends.

Art as a National Narrative

Around 1900, Agnes and Harald Slott-Møller turned their attention towards the Middle Ages. They drew inspiration from history and used art to explore what it meant to be Danish. Their works therefore tell us not only about a distant past, but also about the time in which they themselves lived.

Two Artists with a Shared Ideology

Agnes and Harald Slott-Møller worked closely together and were both deeply committed to their artistic and political ideas. They wanted to strengthen a Danish national identity through art, and at times their political engagement became so consuming that painting had to take a back seat. The exhibition also invites you to take a critical look at their ideas about Denmark and national identity.

Art at Frederiksborg Castle

Frederiksborg Castle provides a historic and magnificent setting for the exhibition and its medieval narratives. Here, you can experience the artists’ works in surroundings where Danish history, art and royal culture are already an integral part of the setting.