With Alvar Aalto’s iconic white marble building as the framework, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art presents A World of Marble, which explores what it means when an artwork is made of marble. Why do artists work with marble, what is the significance of the material for the experience of the work, and how has the use of marble in art changed over time? Marble has been used in art since antiquity and has, more than any other material, helped to define classical art and our understanding of the emergence of western culture. Marble has traditionally communicated status, history, power and classical ideals of beauty and several of art history’s most iconic works were created from marble; from sculptures like Laocoön and The Venus de Milo to architectural masterpieces like the Parthenon and the Taj Mahal.

Over the past decade, marble has also become a favoured material in interior design, while for others, it is associated with 1980s kitsch. Despite - or because of - its inherent content and its distinctly sensuous qualities, marble has again become a favoured material for many contemporary artists in recent decades. A return that seems to coincide with a greater general focus on nature and our material world in a digital age. Through a wide range of artworks, the exhibition A World of Marble examines how marble as a tradition-bound material is understood and interpreted through contemporary art and the significance that marble as a material has on our understanding of art.