Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free – design for movement
The exhibition Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free in 2025 presented Danish design pioneer Nanna Ditzel and her iconic works that challenged static seating and invited new ways of moving and being together.
In the exhibition you could explore Nanna Ditzel’s groundbreaking designs centered on freedom and movement. The exhibition presented some of Ditzel’s most iconic designs. Designs that challenged our ideas of traditional furniture and let us discover new ways of experiencing the body and spending time together.
Nanna Ditzel (1923-2005) was a pioneer of Danish design, known for her innovative approach by which she created furniture to liberate the body. You could visit the exhibition and experience some of her most famous pieces, from the Hanging Egg Chair to the multifunctional Toadstool and other furniture landscapes.
Photo: Schnakenburg og Brahl
A journey through Ditzel’s design universe
In the exhibition you could discover how Nanna Ditzel set the body free through her innovative and playful designs. Divided into four landings, the exhibition showcased Ditzel’s unique design philosophy.
Here you could learn about her life and impact on Danish design. Experience spectacular furniture designed to free the body from static positions. Dive into her experiments with furniture landscapes and interior design and end your visit with the total installation inspired by her spatial art, which invited contemplation.
The exhibition was displayed in DAC’s smaller Gallery Stairs in BLOX. The art and design museum Trapholt in Kolding previously showcased the exhibition Nanna Ditzel – Design to New Heights, from which several of the installations reappeared in DAC’s curation.
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What was Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free?
Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free was an exhibition about Nanna Ditzel’s pioneering design, focused on freedom and movement, presenting furniture that challenged traditional seating and invited new ways of experiencing the body and social life.
When did the exhibition take place?
The exhibition ran from 24 Jan to 25 May 2025.
Who was Nanna Ditzel?
Nanna Ditzel (1923–2005) was as a pioneer in Danish design, known for an innovative approach where furniture was created to free the body.
What types of works could visitors experience?
Visitors could experience iconic works ranging from the hanging eggs to multifunctional pulleys and furniture landscapes.
How was the exhibition structured and where was it shown?
The exhibition was structured across four landings and shown in DAC’s smaller Stair Gallery in BLOX.
What should I know if I only read one thing?
Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free (24 Jan–25 May 2025) was a four-landing Stair Gallery exhibition presenting Ditzel’s design as an invitation to movement, play and new forms of togetherness.
This exhibition is developed by Dansk Arkitektur Center
Parts of the exhibition have previously been shown at Trapholt – Museum of Modern Art and Design in the Nanna Ditzel – Taking Design to New Heights exhibition in 2023.