Herning Museum of Contemporary Art

What Herning Museum of Contemporary Art does

HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art is a single-site contemporary art museum located in Herning, Denmark, founded in 1977 as Herning Kunstmuseum and rebranded to HEART in 2009 when it moved into a purpose-built facility designed by American architect Steven Holl. The museum holds the world's largest public collection of Piero Manzoni works (43 pieces), along with the largest Danish collection of Paul Gadegaard and the largest collection of Ingvar Cronhammar's works. Its programming operates across three strategic pillars — HEARThistory, HEARTfuture, and HEARTdesign — supported by a permanent collection, 3-4 rotating special exhibitions per year, and the biennial Socle du Monde Art Festival (Denmark's oldest contemporary art biennial, founded 2002, renamed Art Festival in 2024).

The museum generates revenue through six diversified streams: admission tickets (DKK 85 adult, DKK 70 seniors/students, free under 18), HEART Club annual membership (DKK 400/year normal, DKK 300 for students/pensioners), HEART Café (foodservice, brunch, event catering), HEART Shop (Danish design retail, art books, exhibition catalogues), fee-based guided tours (DKK 650 weekday / DKK 850 weekend, plus DKK 150 for English), and private/corporate event rentals. HEART Club membership includes reciprocal benefits with Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (free admission) and Trapholt (20% discount), creating a cross-institutional regional ecosystem.

HEART serves a diversified audience across schools (free for Herning Municipality, DKK 650 for external), families, art enthusiasts, the general public, and corporate event clients. The institution employs 15+ staff organized into departments covering leadership, curatorial (KUNSTFAGLIG AFDELING), communications, education and outreach, shop/reception, operations, café, and finance. Free admission for all under-18 visitors and Herning Municipality school groups reflects a deliberate accessibility and educational mandate.

Name

Herning Museum of Contemporary Art

Legal name

HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art

Website

https://heartmus.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art is a single-site Danish art museum founded 1977, holding the world's largest public Piero Manzoni collection (43 works) and operating from a Steven Holl-designed building opened 2009. It serves general public, schools, families, and corporate clients through exhibitions, membership, café, shop, and event rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Art, Street Art & Creative Scene Tours (THAJAAAE), Specialty & Historic Venues (Landmarks, Estates) (THAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Art museum collections
• Museum educational programs
• Cultural venue rentals
• Museum membership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Herning

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Revenue from individual and group admission tickets. Adults DKK 85, groups over 8 DKK 70, seniors/students DKK 70, children under 18 free.
2. HEART Club Membership: Annual membership providing unlimited admission for two persons plus various discounts and exclusive benefits. Normal price DKK 400/year, students/pensioners DKK 300/year.
3. HEART Café: Food and beverage service including light meals, sweet treats, hot and cold beverages, and weekend brunch. Also hosts private and corporate events.
4. HEART Shop: Retail sales of Danish design products, art/design/architecture books, children's books, exhibition catalogues, puzzles, posters, and contemporary crafts.
5. Guided Tours: Fee-based guided tours for groups, priced at DKK 650 on weekdays and DKK 850 on weekends, with additional DKK 150 for English-language tours.
6. Private Event Rentals: Venue rental for celebrations, conferences, and meetings at HEART Café surrounded by art and architecture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art is a single-site art museum that presents contemporary art from 1950 to the present day through a permanent collection (including the world's largest public Piero Manzoni collection of 43 works) and 3-4 rotating special exhibitions annually, organized under the pillars HEARThistory, HEARTfuture, and HEARTdesign. The institution delivers the visitor experience inside a Steven Holl-designed building through exhibitions, guided tours, school education programs, a café, a design shop, and the HEART Club membership program, and hosts the biennial Socle du Monde Art Festival.

Product overview

HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art is a single-site art museum offering a unified visitor experience centered on contemporary art exhibitions and cultural education. The institution comprises a core museum product featuring a permanent collection (emphasizing Zero movement, Italian concept art, and concrete art) and rotating special exhibitions, complemented by three integrated service modules: HEART Café (foodservice and event hosting), HEART Shop (retail), and HEART Club (membership program). Supporting offerings include guided tours, school education programs, and the biennial Socle du Monde Art Festival. The museum building, designed by Steven Holl, opened in 2009 and is located in Birk Centerpark.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HEART Museum (Exhibitions and Permanent Collection) Contemporary art museum presenting a permanent collection and rotating special exhibitions of Danish and international contemporary art from 1950 to the present, housed in the Steven Holl-designed building in Herning. Includes the world's largest public Piero Manzoni collection (43 works), largest Paul Gadegaard collection in Denmark, and largest Ingvar Cronhammar collection, organized under three strategic pillars: HEARThistory, HEARTfuture, and HEARTdesign.
• HEART Café On-site café located in the southwest corner of the museum offering light meals, weekend brunch, hot and cold beverages, and event catering for celebrations, conferences, and meetings at the museum venue.
• HEART Shop On-site and online retail shop offering a curated selection of Danish design products, art/design/architecture books, children's books, exhibition catalogues, puzzles, posters, and contemporary crafts.
• HEART Club Annual Membership Annual membership program providing unlimited admission for two persons to the museum, a member newsletter, preview invitations, discounts on events, 10% discount at HEART Café and HEART Shop, free admission to Louisiana Museum exhibitions, and a 20% discount on admission to Trapholt Museum. Priced at DKK 400/year (DKK 300/year for students and pensioners).
• Guided Tours Curator-led and themed guided tours of current exhibitions, museum history, architecture (including the Steven Holl building), and outdoor areas including Skulpturparken and De Geometriske Haver. Weekday tours priced at DKK 650, weekend tours at DKK 850, with a DKK 150 surcharge for English-language tours; available for groups of up to 30 persons.
• School Education Programs Educational offerings for children and youth including theme-based guided tours, workshop activities, teaching materials aligned with national curriculum standards, teacher courses, and learning partnerships with schools and daycares. Free for Herning Municipality schools and daycares; DKK 650 fee for external schools per guided tour.
• Socle du Monde Art Festival Denmark's oldest biennial for contemporary art, founded in 2002 and renamed from biennale to Art Festival in 2024, celebrating the museum's heritage of artist residencies and factory collaborations, and featuring international artists, curators, and architects.
• Private and Corporate Event Rentals Venue rental of HEART Café and museum facilities for celebrations, conferences, and meetings, hosted at the museum's world-class art and architecture setting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission for all children and youth under 18, supporting family accessibility
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Louisiana Museum of Modern ArtcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHEART Club members receive free admission to all Louisiana exhibitions as part of an inter-museum partnership agreement. Louisiana is one of Denmark's most renowned modern art museums.
• Trapholt MuseumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHEART Club members receive 20% discount on admission to Trapholt. Note: Trapholt is closed in 2026 due to renovation.
• TicketmasterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicket sales platform for concerts and events at HEART, including the August 2026 concert with Dorthe Gerlach and Pernille Rosendahl.
• Place2BookminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent booking platform used for brunch buffet and tapas arrangements at HEART events.
• Aktiv Ferie (Herning Municipality)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Aktiv Ferie program to offer free creative summer activities for children in grades 1-4 from Herning Municipality. Two-day art programs with museum visits and creative workshops.
• Dokument 24minorOthersPartnership enabling visitors to create free wills with a donation bequest to HEART, supporting the museum's ability to continue producing internationally recognized exhibitions.
• Ensemble MidtVestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHEART Club members receive DKK 25 discount on Ensemble MidtVest's own concerts, supporting regional arts collaboration.
• Kunstpakhuset IkastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHEART Club members receive discount on events at Kunstpakhuset in Ikast, supporting regional arts collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SMK - National Gallery of Denmark: Denmark's national art museum and largest art collection, located in Copenhagen. A broader incumbent in Danish art institutions with overlapping contemporary art holdings but a much larger collection, audience, and institutional mandate.

Direct peers

• Louisiana Museum of Modern Art: Denmark's leading modern art museum, located in Humlebæk, with a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art, sculpture park, and reciprocal membership partnership with HEART. Comparable as a single-site Danish modern art museum offering exhibitions, educational programs, café, shop, and a sculpture park.
• Horsens Kunstmuseum: Regional Danish contemporary art museum in Horsens with a permanent collection and rotating exhibitions. Comparable to HEART in scale, single-site regional model, and Danish contemporary art focus.
• ARKEN Museum of Modern Art: Danish contemporary art museum in Ishøj with a single-site operation, comparable scale, and similar exhibition-driven visitor model. Directly comparable as a regional Danish modern art museum with a permanent collection and rotating exhibitions, also offering café, shop, and event rentals.
• Trapholt Museum: Danish museum of modern art and design in Kolding, with a permanent collection emphasizing design, craft, and contemporary art. Directly comparable as a single-site regional Danish museum offering exhibitions, café, shop, and reciprocal membership benefits with HEART.
• Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg: Regional Danish museum of modern and contemporary art in Aalborg with a notable architectural building (designed by Alvar Aalto), permanent collection, and rotating exhibitions. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and operating model to HEART as a regional Danish contemporary art institution.
• Museum Jorn: Danish art museum in Silkeborg focused on modern and contemporary art with ties to the CoBrA movement and Asger Jorn. Comparable to HEART as a single-site regional Danish art museum of similar scale with a permanent collection, exhibitions, and educational programs.
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Denmark): Not currently operating; included as a placeholder for similar Danish contemporary art institutions; omitted from final peer list.
• Designmuseum Danmark: Danish museum of design and crafts in Copenhagen with permanent collections and rotating exhibitions on design, fashion, and crafts. Comparable to HEART on the design pillar of its exhibition strategy (HEARTdesign), and on retail/museum-shop model.

Regional players

• Randers Kunstmuseum: Danish contemporary art museum in Randers focused on Danish and international modern art. Comparable to HEART as a regional Danish art museum of similar scale and exhibition model, though in a different Jutland city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/heartherningmuseumofcontemporaryart
• Instagraminstagram.com/heartmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heart-herning-museum-of-contemporary-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herning Museum of Contemporary Art