The new Danish Opera House was erected between they years 2001-2004. The architect, Henning Larsen, was given the challenge of building a state-of-the-art opera and ballet house that would meet the acoustic and aesthetic demands of facilitating centuries of artwork. The Opera was officially inaugurated on January 15 2005.
The Opera is one of Denmark’s largest and most innovative buildings with its 41,000 square metres and more than 1,100 rooms. Visible to theatre-goers is 7,000 square metres of the foyer and auditorium, while a further 12,000 square metres comprises five underground storeys. 34,000 square metres is reserved for artists and other opera staff.
Apart from Henning Larsen, other Danish artists have contributed to the interior décor of the opera. For the foyer four bronze reliefs have been created by Danish artist Per Kirkeby, three light sculptures by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, artwork by Tal R and paintings by Erik A. Frandsen, Sonny Tronborg, Lars Nørgaard, Pia Andersen, Jesper Christiansen, Niels Erik Gjørdevik, and Kasper Bonnén decorate the backstage walls.
