Loaning artworks

Every year the National Gallery of Denmark loans numerous artworks out to Danish and international museums and exhibition venues. This is an important means of exchanging and sharing artworks and art-related expertise in both a Danish and international context.

The museum does not lend artworks to private persons.

Museums hoping to borrow works from the National Gallery of Denmark must submit a written loan request that is processed during monthly loan reviews. The loan application must include the following information:

• The requested work, with artist, title, date and catalogue number
• Exhibition dates and description of exhibition concept and curatorial objective
• A completed facility report, which is available for download here. A floor plan of the museum must be attached to the report, detailing security types and certification

The National Gallery of Denmark continuously receives a very high number of loan applications, and depending on the individual loan proposal, processing time can unfortunately be extensive. There is therefore a series of deadlines that must be kept as part of submitting a loan application:

• 6 months before the planned exhibition opening, the National Gallery of Denmark must have received the written loan application, including a certain amount of information with completed facility report attached including floor plan as on the main page: loaning artworks
• 2 months prior to the said exhibition opening, changes in already accepted loan requests or agreed exhibition dates have to be communicated to the loan registrar
• 2 months prior to the exhibition opening, the loan registrar must have received the countersigned loan contract, and it must state when the work is requested to be made available. However, the availability date must be no earlier than 14 days prior to the exhibition opening. Return transport after exhibition close must take place no later than 14 days after the conclusion of the exhibition
• 1 month prior to the opening of the exhibition, the loan registrar must have received the insurance policy for the loan
• 14 days prior to the planned transport of the work, the transport agreements must be approved by the loan registrar

The loan registrar at the National Gallery of Denmark administers the loan proposals and then gathers and communicates information between the National Gallery of Denmark and the loan applicant. Every loan application is handled at a monthly loan meeting, where museum curators from the relevant types of collection assess the possibilities of accommodating the loan application.

In the event of a positive review at the loan meeting, the conservation condition of the requested work will be evaluated by the relevant loan curator, depending on whether the loan involves a painting, a sculpture/installation, or a work on paper. At the same time, the loan applicant's facility report is reviewed by a representative of the security department and by the loan curator in question.

Please note that the facility report will only be processed if all sections are complete and if the floor plan is attached as described here.

Every effort is made to keep the loan applicant updated over the course of the case processing. However, the sheer volume of loan proposals may mean that this information is first presented collectively once the loan application has been completely processed and the loan has finally been agreed upon.

If the loan must be declined, then this is naturally reported as soon as possible. If there is a need to formulate additional agreements for a loan to be able to be carried out, these are set as soon as possible during the case processing.

For example, agreements may need to address special conditions concerning the requested work, or the loan applicant's facilities may require the development of additional provisions, such as room temperature and humidity control or security measures.

Unfortunately, not all loan applications can be approved, and reasons for rejection may include the following:

• The loan application does not adhere to the mentioned deadlines here
• The loan application does not include the mentioned materials and despite a notification from the loan registrar, additional information is not submitted in time
• The borrower’s facilities do not meet the requirements set by the National Gallery of Denmark, and no solution to these conditions can be mutually agreed upon
• The work is deemed inappropriate for a loan from a curatorial point of view
• The requested work cannot be released from the National Gallery of Denmark’s own exhibition and research schedule
• The transport requirements are not fully guaranteed by borrower. For details, please see our transport requirements.
  

Danish museums do not pay to borrow works from the National Gallery of Denmark. For Danish as well as international borrowers, costs to cover insurance of the loaned work and transportation expenses are born by the borrower, who also pays for any courier costs in the form of transport, hotel lodgings, and per diem/meal costs.

For international loans, a handling fee of DKK 4,125 must be paid per venue for each work borrowed. The fee partly covers loan administration, art-historical evaluation of the exhibition project, conservator inspection, condition report, and other costs incurred in the preparation of the loan.

It may, however, become necessary for the National Gallery of Denmark to demand additional payment as part of a loan. Such costs are agreed upon early on during processing of the loan application so that both parties are aware of the terms and conditions and the total cost before signing the loan contract. Additional costs may be incurred by the following:

• The requested work demands special or extensive curatorial treatment before the loan
• The requested work is currently located outside the National Gallery of Denmark and must be brought home for its condition to be evaluated by the relevant loan curator. After the end of the exhibition, the work must again be transported back to the storage location via the National Gallery of Denmark. For each work this implicates an extra cost between DKK 3-8,000 approximately, depending on several circumstances.
  
• Additional security measures required by the National Gallery of Denmark on the basis of the facility report, such as circulating guards in the exhibition area or a dedicated alarm on the loaned work
• Requirements set by the National Gallery of Denmark on the basis of the work's curatorial conditions, such as installation of a humidifier in the exhibition area or other measures in conjunction with temperature and humidity control

Upon cancellation of an agreed loan less than 2 months prior to the stated exhibition opening, the National Gallery of Denmark will require a fee for processing the case and preparing the art works. This amount will compensate for expenses incurred through administration of the loan proposal and the curatorial, conservation and handling efforts involved.

The base amount is DKK 1,850 for cancellation of an agreed loan arrangement. An additional cost of DKK 850 is added for each work that was agreed to be loaned, covering the preparation costs. If the cancellation only concerns one or more works to be taken out of a larger loan arrangement, then only the fee per cancelled work will be claimed, i.e. DKK 850 per work.