Museum Display Between Past and Present: Contemporary Explorations of Historical Display Design at Designmuseum Danmark

This article explores the ways in which historical display furniture and architectural interiors created by Danish architect Kaare Klint for Designmuseum Danmark in the 1920s are activated in the museum’s exhibitions today. Based on comparative analyses of current exhibition installations at Designmuseum Danmark, as well as Klint’s own writings on the museum display principles by which he developed his design, the article considers how Klint’s museum vitrines and architectural interiors have shifted from representing a ‘neutral’ frame for the exhibited objects to manifesting themselves as distinct ‘objects of importance’ within the new exhibitions. Drawing on museological perspectives on (design) museum display practices, the article discusses how the contemporary activations of Klint’s historical display design emphasize and explore the museum’s display traditions in reflective and investigative ways that reach beyond mere nostalgia.