Danish Royal Couple Attends Opening of Aros Art Installation

Aarhus' art museum, Aros, officially opened its new underground exhibition gallery and its centerpiece, James Turrell's "As Seen Below – The Dome, a skyspace," with a visit from the Danish royal couple, King Frederik and Queen Mary.

The artwork is described as a "skyspace," a room with an opening to the sky, and is considered by the American artist Turrell, who has a background in both art and psychology, to be his most ambitious skyspace yet. Turrell became a key figure in the light and installation art movement in California during the 1960s, and his skyspaces are now found in over 26 countries.

The project has been more than ten years in the making, with the initial goal of creating a monumental art installation. However, the completion was delayed and became more expensive than initially estimated. The original budget was nearly 200 million Danish kroner, but a supplier's bankruptcy for the dome's lid caused a delay and a cost increase of 6.7 million kroner. The Salling Fondene was the largest contributor to the expansion, donating 80 million kroner, with additional funding from Ny Carlsbergfondet and an anonymous donation.