Image: © Studio Kirsten Justesen
MAPS – Museum of Art in Public Space in Køge is presenting an exhibition devoted to the development of Kirsten Justesen’s four-metre-high ‘Monument for Grevinde Danner’. Titled ‘JEG ER ALLE KVINDER’, the exhibition brings together sketches, models, drawings, historical research and project diaries tracing the monument’s creation from 2019 to 2024. It remains on view at MAPS through 30 August 2026.
The monument was inaugurated in 2024 and now stands on Gyldenløvesgade, opposite Dannerhuset in Copenhagen, at the junction with Vester Søgade. Rather than offering a conventional portrait, Justesen’s sculpture takes the form of a woman’s body with a skirt functioning as a plinth. A timeline and associated objects describe Countess Danner’s life and the subsequent history of women’s lives in Denmark, according to the museum.
Countess Danner, born Louise Rasmussen, lived from 1815 to 1874 and rose from the lowest levels of society to the centre of political power. After marrying Frederik VII, she used her position and wealth to support disadvantaged women and children. Her legacy included an orphanage and a building intended to provide housing for “poor working-class women”; her efforts also laid the foundation for the later Danner House.
The exhibition focuses on the monument’s extensive preparatory material, offering insight into the decisions and conditions that shaped the final public work. MAPS describes the display as a presentation of the artistic process behind the monument, from Justesen’s earliest diary notes, sketches and models through the development of the completed sculpture. The project was realised with support from the Ny Carlsberg Foundation, which enabled MAPS to acquire Justesen’s preparatory work.
Justesen, born in 1943, was part of the avant-garde scene of the 1960s and is identified by MAPS as a pioneer of feminist art. She has exhibited internationally since the 1970s and has received several honours for her work, including the Thorvaldsen Medal. The monument’s title, ‘Monument for Grevinde Danner’, and the exhibition title, ‘JEG ER ALLE KVINDER’, place the historical figure within Justesen’s broader engagement with the representation of women in public space.
MAPS describes itself as a museum, workshop and platform focused on art in public space. Its collection contains more than 19,000 preparatory works for realised and unrealised public-art projects, alongside an archive documenting the processes and debates surrounding such works. The institution was founded in 1977 as Køge Sketch Collection, operated for many years as KØS – Museum of Art in Public Space, and adopted the name MAPS in January 2025. The exhibition ‘JEG ER ALLE KVINDER’ is at Nørregade 29, Køge, until 30 August 2026.
