Discover the world of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen

By Heidi Kokborg | Photos: Ard Jongsma

Explore a new exhibition that spotlights the life, legacy, and groundbreaking work of Denmark’s most influential female sculptor. Since opening on 21 June at TID – Museum for Odense, the exhibition Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen. Sculpting Lives invites visitors into an immersive sculptural realm.

Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen (1863–1945) was a pioneer. As the first woman to execute both an equestrian statue of a monarch and monumental bronze doors for a cathedral, she redefined the possibilities of public sculpture. The exhibition Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. Sculpting Lives brings her work and vision into the present, offering an encounter with an artist whose presence remains relevant. With nearly 200 original models and sculptures on display, ranging from intimate studies to grand figures, the exhibition is a celebration of her artistic mastery and timeless worldview.

Discover the world of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen

Photo: Museum Odense

A sculptural bond with nature

Born and raised on a farm in southern Denmark, Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen grew up surrounded by animals – horses, cattle, sheep – and it was here that she developed her instinctive connection to the living form. That early exposure became the foundation for a sculptural style deeply rooted in movement, anatomy, and vitality. Her horses, bulls, mermaids, and centaurs do not just depict; they breathe, move, and radiate intent.

“She believed in the life force as what connects people, animals, and nature. She created sculptures that pulse with life and movement,” says Emilie Boe Bierlich, curator of the exhibition and head of the Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen Centre. In Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen’s hands, materials like clay, bronze, plaster and wax are shaped into organic forms where humans and animals exist not in hierarchy, but in harmony.

Discover the world of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen

This philosophy runs through the entire exhibition.

As visitors move through the space, they are invited to experience Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen’s perspective not as a historical artefact but as a living idea – one that challenges how we understand ourselves in relation to the world around us. “She didn’t see humans as above nature. Quite the opposite: she let everything melt together in a living whole,” says Bierlich.

From national landmarks to delicate artwork

Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen is widely recognised for her public commissions, which broke new ground both artistically and socially. Her equestrian statue of Christian IX in Copenhagen and the bronze doors for Ribe Cathedral remain national landmarks. Their scale is commanding and their detail astonishing, but when displayed alongside her more delicate works, they offer a fuller picture of an artist who was both ambitious and deeply sensitive.

“She worked from tiny figures to monumental public sculptures, and when you see them all together, you really feel her artistic importance,” says Mette Stauersbøl Mogensen, head of development at TID – Museum for Odense. The exhibition reveals not just technical skill but a persistent emotional current that runs through her entire body of work.

Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen’s story is as compelling as her art. A woman who chose sculpture over societal expectations, she developed an independent career, even separating from her husband, the celebrated composer Carl Nielsen, to prioritise her art. Their relationship, however, remains an essential part of her story. Visitors wanting to explore that creative bond further can continue their journey at the Carl Nielsen Museum nearby, which offers a look at the composer’s life and work.

A living conversation

To extend Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen’s vision into the contemporary moment, TID – Museum for Odense commissioned recognised artist and filmmaker Jesper Just to create a new installation in conversation with her work. Using infrared film, light, sound, and rhythm guided by breath, Just has crafted a large‑scale multimedia piece that engages all the senses.

“Jesper Just’s work is not just a tribute – it’s a living conversation with her art. He dissolves her sculptures and creates a sensory space where everything moves and breathes,” says Bierlich. Accompanied by music composed by August Rosenbaum, the installation invites viewers to slow down, listen, and enter into a shared experience of form, movement and presence.

This reinforces what the exhibition captures so beautifully: Anne Marie Carl‑Nielsen did not sculpt static symbols or frozen monuments. She shaped living forms – bodies and beings that continue to speak, move, and inspire.

Whether you come to marvel at the monumental, reflect on the personal, or simply lose yourself in the rhythmic breath of bronze and film, Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. Sculpting Lives offers an opportunity to experience the power of sculpture as something not just seen, but deeply felt.

Discover the world of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen