In spring 2026, Johan Holten will take up the position as director of ARKEN. Get to know him better here.

1. Johan Holten was born in 1976 and grew up in Copenhagen. His parents are economist Henning Holten and Bodil Nyboe Andersen, Denmark’s only female Governor of the National Bank. His maternal grandfather was Minister of Economic Affairs and graduated top of his class in Economics at the University of Copenhagen in 1939. His mother achieved the second-highest result under the grading system of her time. His brother is Kasper Holten, Director of the Royal Danish Theatre.
As a child, Johan Holten attended the Royal Danish Ballet School. At 18, he moved to Hamburg to pursue a career in dance. That decision led to almost 32 years in Germany. He has two adult children, both of whom are studying in Germany.
“I am most grateful for having two such wonderful children,” he says.

2. Johan Holten holds a degree in art history and cultural studies from Humboldt University in Berlin. He served for several years as Director of Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden and has, since 2019, been Director of Kunsthalle Mannheim. As of 1 April 2026, he will be Director of ARKEN.

3. He has a keen interest in economics, shaped by his family background: “Exhibitions are also very much about making budgets add up. So understanding money is an important tool.”

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^{Johan Holten. Photo: Kavian Borhani}