Interested in art? Copenhagen offers an abundance of contemporary art galleries and museums. Here is our list of our preferred venues.
The Hirschprung Collection
Hirschsprung is an art museum in a class of its own. It stands as a unique presentation of Danish art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, spanning the period from the Danish Golden Age to the Skagen painters and the Modern Breakthrough.
Containing a selection of the most important works by masters such as Eckersberg, Købke, Krøyer and Hammershøi, the Hirschsprung Collection offers a representative selection of paintings from one of the most outstanding eras of Danish art history.
Beautiful building in a beautiful garden
The museum building is a beautiful example of the neo-classical style, where the interior, with its subdued colors and small galleries, creates a special and intimate atmosphere.
The museum is in the Østre Anlæg park in central Copenhagen, and is today listed as a building of special importance.
The museum is built around the personal art collection of Heinrich Hirschsprung, a tobacco manufacturer, who donated his collection to the Danish state in 1902.
Address: Stockholmsgade 20
Ordrupgaard Art Museum
Ordrupgaard Museum houses French Impressionist art and Danish art from the Golden Age with an exquisite collection of paintings by artists such as Monet, Gauguin and Hammershøi. With an extension to the building made by star architect Zaha Hadid in 2005 and Finn Juhl’s house in 2008, the museum has gained a strong architectural profile. The museum has changing special exhibitions and exhibits art in the open in Art Park Ordrupgaard.
Adress: Vilvordevej 110, 2920 Charlottenlund
National Gallery of Art
The history of the museum is inextricably bound up with the history of the art collections amassed by Danish monarchs. That is why the story of the museum does not begin with the building in Sølvgade, the address of the museum, but with the diary of the German painter Albrecht Dürer. In 1521 this eminent artist made an entry stating that the king of Denmark, Christian II, had received “the best copies of all my prints.” With this gift the cornerstone of the National Gallery of Denmark was laid down.
Today Dürer’s works form part of the museum’s collection of art, and his gift sparked an interest in art at the Danish court. Subsequent generations of kings kept that interest alive, even if their ardour for art and sense of quality varied somewhat.
Today the museum’s vast collection of art can be experienced in the permanent displays of European Art 1300-1800, Danish and Nordic Art 1750-1900, French Art 1900-1930 and Danish and International Art after 1900. Works from the Royal Collection of Graphic Art can be viewed in the Study Room, whereas the Royal Cast Collection can be visited at the Vestindisk Pakhus, a former warehouse on the harbor front in Copenhagen.
Address: Sølvgade 48-50
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The beautiful museum, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, is located 40 kilometers north of Copenhagen and it has gained a reputation as a museum in touch with the zeitgeist of the contemporary art world. Experience international artists, concerts and lectures.
You can always be sure to take in refreshing and innovative contemporary art as well as modernist classics when you visit Lousiana. Besides the impressive permanent collection with over 3,000 works, the museum has 8-12 special exhibitions annually. See ‘events’ for further information.
Address: Gammel Strandvej 13, 3050 Humlebæk
New Carlsberg Glyptotek
The New Carlsberg Glyptotek contains the largest collection of ancient art in Northern Europe and a significant collection of Danish and French works from the 19th and 20th centuries. It receives around 350,000 visitors per year, making it one of the most popular art museums in Denmark.
Most of the artworks came from Carl and Ottilia Jacobsen, who created one of the largest private art collections of the time – ultimately to the risk of his brewing business. In the early 1880s, they allowed the public to view the works in their own home but, as the collection continued to grow, they came to an agreement with the Danish State and the City of Copenhagen. They donated their collection of modern art to the Danish people in return for a building in which to house it.
The Carlsberg Foundation and the New Carlsberg Foundation continue to be the Glyptotek’s most important benefactors. In 2006, to celebrate the museum’s centenary, the Foundations donated DKK 100 million for renovations and enhancements to the buildings and improved communications and layouts for the collections. The 1970s front entrance has been replaced – with the door originally fitted in the 1920s – and the whole façade has been carefully cleaned to remove 100 years of coal smoke and traffic pollution.
You may read more about it here.
Address: Dantes Plads 7
Feature image (on top) : From the Hirschsprung collection
Art in Copenhagen, written by Admin