Trapholt Museum for Modern Art and Design — Attraction in Kolding Municipality

I recently visited Trapholt in Kolding with my parents and my girlfriend, and despite not being someone who regularly visits modern art museums, this experience turned out to be a truly pleasant surprise.

Trapholt is beautifully located near the water and has a light, open architecture that makes it feel welcoming and easy to explore. The layout of the museum is very visitor-friendly, and it was a joy simply walking through the space. Many of the exhibitions invited a kind of semi-interactive experience, which made the visit feel more engaging and personal.

During our visit, we saw two major exhibitions: Michael Kvium – Skyggeteater (Shadow Theatre) and Mie Olise Kjærgaard – Agile Aggressions. Kvium’s work was, as always, thought-provoking and slightly unsettling, exploring the darker sides of human nature through dramatic imagery and strong symbolism. Mie Olise Kjærgaard’s exhibition, on the other hand, felt more abstract and experimental, and it invited us into a colorful and chaotic universe that was both playful and aggressive, in the best possible sense.

One of the highlights of the day was visiting the Arne Jacobsen summerhouse, which is an integral part of the museum’s permanent collection. This full-scale house was designed by the famous Danish architect and designer in the 1950s, and walking through it was like stepping into a living design catalog. The house is a unique example of modernist architecture and functionalist design, with every detail—furniture, color palette, materials, and layout—carefully thought out. It showcases Jacobsen’s ability to combine simplicity with elegance, creating a space that feels both practical and deeply aesthetic. For anyone with even a passing interest in design or architecture, the summerhouse is an absolute must-see.

All in all, Trapholt offered an inspiring and relaxed art experience that felt approachable even for someone not deeply immersed in the world of modern art. It’s a place I would definitely recommend—and one I wouldn’t hesitate...

Trapholt always puts on very interesting exhibitions and Feel me is well worth a visit. Daniel Wurtzel's piece Air Fountain in particular makes the trip exceptional but there are many other wonderful works included which means that you should go.

If you have time and spare cash for a visit to the cafe then that's recommended as well. It may seem dear at first glance but you get value for money with good food and sizeable portions. Don't forget to grab a piece of cake if you have room for it (we didn't 😂).

After lunch make sure you stick your head out into the lovely grounds which offer rich beds of flowers at the right time of year (we were there in July), and beautiful views of the sea...

The modern art museum in Kolding that surprises with great, new exhibitions every once in a while. Worth of visiting each quarter of the year. Now - a great exhibition of Arne Jacobsen"s life and work, also great announcements for the next year! Update July 2022: Excellent Verner Panton design exhibition. The museum continually brings reasons to go there every once in a while 👍🍀 Update: February 2023: Great exhibition "Connect me", talks about always topical issues of the connection between humans, nature and technology. Pitty that some of the interactive exhibits were...