The intention of this article is to open a debate on the too familiar dichotomy
between private and public art collections. In historical and social contexts, the
values as well as meanings of “private” and “public” interchange. Against this
backdrop, it is tempting to question the common thinking regarding private and
public collections, foremost in a Danish context. To mention just a few, more or
less hidden relations: Public collections are more often than not founded on private donations and collections, and existing private collections can be open to the public as well as regulated by public legislation. In addition, private collectors can obtain a very high degree of visibility in the public sphere, they can exhibit their collections, and they can occupy important positions in the art world. Private and public collectors share common interests in visiting art fairs, knowing about upcoming galleries and artists etc., and public collectors can have their own
private collections as well. In fact, we have very little research based knowledge of these liaisons.