Skjulte forbindelser? Om forholdet mellem private og offentlige kunstsamlinger

The intention of this article is to open a debate on the too familiar dichotomy between private and public art collections. In historical and social contexts, the values as well as meanings of “private” and “public” interchange. Against this backdrop, it is tempting to question the common thinking regarding private and public collections, foremost in a Danish context. To mention just a few, more or less hidden relations: Public collections are more often than not founded on private donations and collections, and existing private collections can be open to the public as well as regulated by public legislation. In addition, private collectors can obtain a very high degree of visibility in the public sphere, they can exhibit their collections, and they can occupy important positions in the art world. Private and public collectors share common interests in visiting art fairs, knowing about upcoming galleries and artists etc., and public collectors can have their own private collections as well. In fact, we have very little research based knowledge of these liaisons.