The Black Diamond

On the edge of Copenhagen Harbour sits The Black Diamond as a beacon of culture. The Black Diamond is Royal Danish Library's cultural centre in Copenhagen with lots of exhibitions all year round.

Storytelling, sensuous experiences and unique objects set the mind in motion when visiting exhibitions in The Black Diamond. With cultural heritage as an inexhaustible reservoir, everything from Søren Kierkegaard to contemporary art is staged, with particular emphasis on literature and photography.

Exhibitions 2026

The World around Us – Permanent Exhibition
In The Black Diamond's new collection exhibition, we turn our gaze towards the landscape and everything that surrounds us. The exhibition takes us on a journey through the last 200 years of photographic history and focuses on how we have depicted and understood land and city through photography – from the romantic landscape photography of the 19th century to the Industrialisation's enthusiasm for cities and buildings to the climate challenges of today.

Treasures in the Royal Danish Library  – Permanent Exhibition
An exhibition with library's most precious, beautiful, significant, and valuable treasures. From the oldest of manuscripts to the Internet's ever increasing digital cultural heritage. Explore gems from the collections of science, philosophy, cartography, music, and much more – or take a peek into the lives of a number of prominent Danes by reading Søren Kierkegaard's letter to his fiancé, Karen Blixen's own manuscript, or Hans Christian Andersen's diary. Permanent exhibition.

Jytte Rex – Dreams and Furious Laughter – 20.3.26-09.08.26

In Jytte Rex’s art, images, words, and film meet in a weave of connections – between people, times, and media. For more than six decades, she has worked across art forms, creating existentially focused works that revolve around the relationship between humans and the world and between inner and outer life. The photographic medium is a recurring element in Jytte Rex’s practice. She describes it as subjecting photography to a form of vandalism. She breaks with photography’s cool documentarism and creates a connection to other times, to the world's changeability, and to human inner life. Materials and motifs are worked in layers upon layers, generating new layers of meaning and impression.

Jytte Rex is part of the feminist avant-garde art of the 1960s and 1970s, and occupies a distinctive position with her poetic and labyrinthine expression. Jytte Rex – The Dream and the Furious Laughter opens up a universe where stories, longings, and sensations merge, and where the works invite us to open our eyes to the mystery of the world.

The Black Diamond closes at 3:30 PM on Tuesday, January 27.

Visit The Old Reading Room

The atmospheric reading room in the original part of Royal Danish Library on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen is called The Old Reading Room. The reading room has remained virtually original since its inauguration in 1906 and is a true architectural gem. On Sundays, anyone interested can visit the reading room and experience its very special atmosphere. Visit to The Old Reading Room is included in the exhibition ticket and with a Copenhagen Card.
Please note that only students and researchers have access to the library Monday to Saturday.

 

Related Attractions

Opening Hours

01.01.2026 - 01.04.2026:
Monday: 10:00 - 20:00
Tuesday: 10:00 - 20:00
Wednesday: 10:00 - 20:00
Thursday: 10:00 - 15:30
Friday: 10:00 - 20:00
Saturday: 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday: 10:00 - 16:00

Location

Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1

1221 København K


https://www.kb.dk/arrangementer/udstillinger

Restaurant

Café

Wheelchair Accessible