Dem der ikke magter kunsten. Konflikter omkring kunstoplevelsen ved de første offentlige kunstudstillinger i Danmark

The exhibitions held by The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in the latter half of the eighteenth century laid the basis for the subsequent practice of public art exhibitions in Denmark. The lack of a general background for this new activity, in the form of a broadly accepted framework of understanding, involved a sense of openness that proved attractive for people of very different kinds. This article shows how the artists of that time attempted to manage the public conditions and context for art by promoting one particular art experience, and limit others. This practice was especially aimed at excluding the lower classes, whose understanding of art was considered incompatible with that of the artists.