Picasso arrives in Aalborg: Exhibition opens under tight security

On Saturday, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg opened the doors to the largest Picasso exhibition in the Nordic region in four decades.

With artworks worth millions comes a level of security Aalborg has rarely — if ever — experienced in connection with an exhibition or cultural event.

On May 9, the museum officially launched the major international exhibition Late Picasso, bringing together more than 60 oil paintings and a number of graphic works by Pablo Picasso in Aalborg.

But with some of the world’s most valuable artworks also come extraordinary security measures.

“We have the highest level of security possible.

We are working closely with police and emergency services, and there are guards and surveillance present around the exhibition at all times,” museum director Lasse Andersson told DR.

A Year of Security Preparations

Although he declined to reveal specific details about the security setup, Andersson described the system as “state-of-the-art” and explained that preparations had been underway for more than a year.

The extensive security presence is largely due to the immense value of the artworks.

Today, Picasso pieces are sold for enormous sums at international auctions, and several of the works on display have been loaned from some of the world’s most prestigious art institutions.

Among the lenders are the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Moderna Museet, and Musée Picasso.

The exhibition focuses on works created during the final decades of Pablo Picasso’s life — paintings made in the 1960s and 1970s after the artist had turned 80.

According to Kunsten, the exhibition presents a Picasso who worked freely and fearlessly, allowing creativity to flow without restraint.

Picasso’s Grandson Attended the Opening

A central part of the exhibition comes from Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, Pablo Picasso’s grandson, who personally attended the opening in Aalborg on Saturday.

“These paintings come from a period in his life when he no longer had anything to prove.

He simply loved to paint, and you can clearly feel that throughout this exhibition,” Bernard Ruiz-Picasso told DR.

A Historic Moment for Aalborg

Aalborg’s mayor, Lasse Frimand Jensen, also described the exhibition as a historic moment for the city.

He called Late Picasso the biggest and most important exhibition at Kunsten since the museum opened in 1972.

“We want to attract the world to Aalborg and send Aalborg out into the world.

It should be easy to come here — but difficult to leave again.

Late Picasso is about world-class art. But it is also about people, community, and making art accessible to everyone.

Through Picasso LAB, we invite children and young people not only to learn about art, but through art. The youngest generations should encounter the very best and experience art as something they actively participate in,” says Lasse Frimand Jensen.

Kunsten purchased its first Picasso painting five years before the museum officially opened in 1972, and the ambition of hosting a major Picasso exhibition has existed for decades.

Now, it has finally become reality — complete with international attention and a level of security Aalborg has rarely witnessed.

The exhibition Late Picasso will be on display at Kunsten in Aalborg until September 6, 2026.