The Art of Setting a Festive Table

Every December, the Collection at Johannes Larsen Museum is transformed into an enchanting celebration of art, craftsmanship and everyday pleasures. The exhibition Christmas and Festive Tables has become a much-loved tradition that many visitors look forward to – an exhibition that brings together tradition and innovation through beautifully arranged tables, each telling its own story.

The idea began in 2013, when the museum collaborated with Georg Jensen Damask to create the first festive table settings in Johannes Larsen’s studio. It was a great success, and the following year, the exhibition moved to the Collection. Here, the concept expanded, and new voices were invited to contribute – artists, designers, passionate members of the local community and partners, each offering their own personal interpretation of how a festive or Christmas table can tell a story. What began as a simple idea has now become an annual tradition, marking the end of the year at Møllebakken.

Tables Indoors and Outdoors

This year, for the first time, the exhibition extends across the entire museum. Festive tables are set both indoors and outdoors – from the Collection to the Café and even inside Johannes and Alhed Larsen’s own villa at Møllebakken. This offers visitors a new way to experience the artists’ home, where past and present come together in the rooms that once formed the setting for the couple’s lives and hospitality.

This Year’s Table Designers

This year, the museum has invited a selection of artists, a chef, partners, a former employee and museum curators to share their personal interpretations of what a Christmas or festive table can look like. What unites them is a desire to combine aesthetics and storytelling – creating spaces for togetherness, beauty and reflection.

Below, you can meet this year’s table designers:

• Jesper Vollmer, chef and entrepreneur
• Simon Bang, visual artist and film director, and Anna Bang, portrait painter and illustrator
• Morten Schandorff, designer and tile manufacturer
• Kirsten Hesselager, visual artist
• Violise Lunn, visual artist
• Eva Wittenborn, visual artist and art therapist
• Jesper Sarkel, Sarkel Antik
• Artists from the exhibition VIDSYN – New Art from Funen, together with Gudrun Heltoft, Curator of Learning and Engagement at Johannes Larsen Museum
• Charlotte Iben Jensen, artist and former museum host at Johannes Larsen Museum
• Lis Engelbreth, Events and Volunteer Coordinator at Johannes Larsen Museum

Exhibition opening on Saturday, 14 November at 3 pm. The artists will be present, and the museum will serve refreshments.

Thank you to Kerteminde Museum Association for supporting the exhibition.

Photo: Jule- og festborde 2024-25. Johannes Larsen Museet