Angli Avantgarden
Art, sound, and visions
Dive into the story of Aage Damgaard – the man who united art and industry and turned Angli in Herning into a vibrant centre of the avant-garde. Here, music, painting, and everyday life merged into a groundbreaking vision that continues to inspire today.
The exhibition The Angli Avantgarde brings the past to life through sound and imagery, inviting you into a unique artistic universe
From shirts to art
Dive into the fascinating story of the visionary shirt manufacturer Aage Damgaard, who in the 1950s and 1960s made a significant mark on both the textile industry and art history by employing artists at his factory – Angli – in Herning.
These years mark 70 years since shirt manufacturer Aage Damgaard challenged conventions by inviting artists to the Angli factory in Herning for the first time, thereby uniting art and work on the sewing floors
Avant-garde during working hours
Artists such as Paul Gadegaard, Sven Dalsgaard, Svend Wiig Hansen, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Robert Jacobsen, and Piero Manzoni helped shape the avant-garde art scene at Angli, while Miles Davis played through the loudspeakers and Aage Damgaard hosted factory concerts during working hours. In the canteen, artists such as Wanda Tworek, Victor Cornelius, and Lulu Ziegler performed, where music, visual art, and artistic debate inevitably became part of everyday life for everyone — employees and visitors alike — who moved through the factory and its surrounding environment.
A musical tribute to Angli
Damgaard’s initiative and courage are celebrated in the exhibition The Angli Avantgarde, which gives both sound and image to the innovative and artistic environment created at Angli at the time.
The exhibition is part of the project Kunsten & Klangen (Art & Sound), launched at the Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelt Museum in 2018 with the aim of “letting art speak about art.” The museum engaged Danish composer Ditte Rønn as ‘house composer’ to create a new sound work each year based on the museum’s collection, resulting in a series of unique and compelling experiences for visitors. Drawing on the artistic and musical environment at Angli, Ditte Rønn has created the LP The Angli Avantgarde, released in connection with the Moor Jazz Festival 2022, which is available in the museum shop and can also be experienced as part of the exhibition.