SAS Royal Hotel – A Love Story: Arne Jacobsen and total design
Exhibition
Apr 21, 2021 - Jun 19, 2022
SAS Royal Hotel – A Love Story in 2021 was a pop-up exhibition in DAC Passage exploring Arne Jacobsen’s total design for the SAS Royal Hotel (now Radisson Collection Royal Hotel), from architecture down to details. The exhibition was free.
The world’s first design hotel celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020. The SAS Royal Hotel – now the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel – is one of Arne Jacobsen’s most iconic buildings.
The hotel became one of Denmark’s first skyscrapers. It is a perfect example of how Jacobsen mastered all steps in the architectural process, from the largest lines to the smallest details.
When the hotel opened, it was considered the most modern hotel in the Nordic region, but not everyone was equally impressed by Jacobsen’s masterpiece. Why was the SAS Royal Hotel so reviled in its time? And how was it also a declaration of love for Copenhagen?
Photo: Paul Warchol
We zoomed in on Arne Jacobsen – a modern pioneer who was ahead of his time – and one of his most famous buildings.
SAS Royal Hotel – a love story was an intuitive, playful and tactile pop-up exhibition, which showed Arne Jacobsen’s thoughts about total design, radical architecture and beautiful design elements.
You found the exhibition in DAC Passage. The exhibition was free.
Photo: Radisson Hotel Group
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One of a kind
Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) was one of a kind in Danish architectural and design history. With his versatile talent and tireless desire to create, he made history putting Danish architecture and design on the world map.
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What was SAS Royal Hotel – A Love Story?
SAS Royal Hotel – A Love Story was a pop-up exhibition in DAC Passage about Arne Jacobsen’s iconic SAS Royal Hotel and his “total design” approach from overall architecture to small details.
When did the exhibition take place?
The exhibition ran from 21 Apr 2021 to 19 Jun 2022.
What is the SAS Royal Hotel known for?
It is the world’s first design hotel, one of Arne Jacobsen’s most iconic buildings, and one of Denmark’s first skyscrapers.
What is the hotel called today?
The SAS Royal Hotel is now the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel.
What was the exhibition’s main question/angle?
It asked why the hotel was criticised at its opening and how it can also be read as a love letter to Copenhagen.
What should I know if I only read one thing?
SAS Royal Hotel – A Love Story (21 Apr 2021–19 Jun 2022) was a free pop-up in DAC Passage about Arne Jacobsen’s total design of the world’s first design hotel.