ARoS is one of the largest and most visited art museums in Scandinavia, and the building alone — a cube of dark brick topped by Olafur Eliasson's circular rainbow walkway — makes it unmistakable on the Aarhus skyline. The permanent collection spans Danish and international art from the eighteenth century to the present day, with a particular strength in twentieth-century Danish modernism. The sculpture levels below ground house Ron Mueck's towering hyperrealist figures, among the most striking works in any European museum.
The rotating temporary exhibitions tend to be ambitious and well-mounted. The museum's ten floors are linked by a central atrium; the Danish design sensibility is evident throughout in the clean lines and natural light. Queues for the rainbow panorama can be long in summer — arriving when the museum opens helps. The museum is a short walk west of the city centre.