Gentofte council likely to reject 3.2-metre scientist sculpture donation

Danish artist Kristian von Hornsleth has offered to donate a towering bronze sculpture of philosopher Vincent Hendricks to Gentofte Municipality, but local officials are poised to decline the gift, according to a report by Danish broadcaster DR.

The 3.2-metre-tall, 2.4-metre-wide artwork—part of a planned series of 10 scientist-themed sculptures—would be installed at the municipality’s expense only for maintenance, with the artist covering production and installation. Yet Marie Brixtofte (V), chair of Gentofte’s Culture, Youth, and Leisure Committee, called the piece “simply not for us,” citing its “very large, bombastic, and very masculine” design as incompatible with the area’s aesthetic.

Brixtofte stressed that while the committee unanimously supports the project’s goal of inspiring young people toward research careers, the sculpture’s scale and style do not fit Gentofte’s public spaces. The council’s finance committee will deliver a final decision this evening, though rejection is widely expected.

Hornsleth, who lives and works in Gentofte’s Hellerup district, has already faced refusals from Rudersdal, Frederiksberg, and Copenhagen municipalities for the same piece. Undeterred, he plans to approach all 98 Danish councils until he secures a location. “It will succeed,” he told DR, insisting the work must stand on public land to avoid commercial or organisational influence.

A smaller version of the Hendricks sculpture has been produced to fund the project through sales. An earlier work in the series—a bronze of geneticist Eske Willerslev—was installed at Rungsted Gymnasium in neighbouring Hørsholm.