Designmuseum Danmark Copenhagen Museums and Attractions

Table Of Content

• Visit the Design Museum Danmark (Danish Design) in Copenhagen
• Practical Information for Visiting the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
• Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK): best for kids, art, architecture and pancakes
• Library and archives
• Practical Information for Visiting the David Collection
• Practical Information for Visiting the Danish Jewish Museum

However, the collection and displays also include major international works and older designs especially to show the influence on later developments of classical ideas. Designmuseum Danmark was founded in 1890 by the Industriforeningen i København (now Dansk Industri – The Confederation of Danish Industries) and the Ny Carlsberg Museumslegat. It first opened to the public in 1895 in a completely new museum building situated on what is now H.C. Right from the start the main purpose of the museum has been to disseminate a concept of quality within design. Through displaying the exemplary objects it was hoped to raise standards within the products of Danish industry.

Visit the Design Museum Danmark (Danish Design) in Copenhagen

It boasts a vast collection of both Danish and European art pieces ranging from the 14th century to modern day. The architecture of the museum is also striking; the original building is over 100 years old and is connected by a glass covered street to a more modern building, making a tangible transition from old to new. If you’re into art, design, architecture and food, Copenhagen is the place for you. The city hosts numerous world-class museums ranging from prestigious institutes with large art collections to new, niche museums for installation art. In addition to the art they house, the galleries are destinations in and of themselves, complete with gorgeous architecture and top notch cafes.

Practical Information for Visiting the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Wearing only his warrior’s helmet, the marble statue shows Jason’s proud nonchalance as he sets off to return home with the Golden Fleece on his left arm. The son of an Icelandic wood carver, Thorvaldsen’s life represented the romanticism of the 18th and 19th centuries. Having spent the majority of his life in Rome, his work was clearly inspired by classical Greece and Rome. Two of the highlights of the SMK are Krøyer’s Boys Bathing at Skagen, Summer Evening,  and Hammershøi’s Interior in Strandgade, Sunlight on the Floor. Don’t miss ‘The Chair,’ designed by Hans Wegner, which was catapulted to fame when used in the televised 1960 U.S. Presidential Debate and since then, it has become synonymous with Danish design worldwide.

Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK): best for kids, art, architecture and pancakes

7 unmissable museums in Copenhagen - Lonely Planet Travel News

7 unmissable museums in Copenhagen.

Posted: Fri, 27 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The center runs guided tours of Ørestad, an emerging neighborhood with some of the most striking modern architecture in Denmark. With a focus on sustainable design and community values, the tour encompasses new apartments, daycare centers, schools, and an arena. My journey across the world is fueled by curiosity and a hunger for unique experiences.

Open throughout 2024, ‘The Future is Present’ explores society's future diversity and community design, questioning human values and social behavior. It addresses designers' radical, empathetic approaches to global challenges like the climate crisis, refugee flows, surveillance, and pandemics, encouraging reflection. While not cheap, the museum’s gift shop is a good first port of call for those looking for design-focused souvenirs. Tucked behind the sprawling Statens Museum for Kunst, in pretty Østre Anlæg park, this comparatively bijou museum houses 19th- and early 20th-century Danish masterpieces that belonged to tobacco magnate Heinrich Hirschsprung. The collection includes major works by artists from the Danish Golden Age (1800–1850) and paintings by Anna Ancher, a member of the Skagen Painters colony and considered one of Denmark’s greatest artists.

Ordrupgaard Museum - Finn Juhl’s House

Kunsthal Charlottenborg hosts a year-round program of rotating exhibitions, performances, concerts, lectures, and screenings, representing a wide array of artistic mediums. The center’s reputation for daring, provocative exhibits ensures there’s always something new and exciting to explore. Here, you can explore authentic, reconstructed flats from the 1910s and the 1950s century, complete with period furniture and household items. Looking at the exhibits gives you the impression you’ve stepped back in time.

Library and archives

Set inside an elegant 19th-century townhouse, the David Collection is one of Copenhagen’s hidden gems. The museum, which was once a private collection belonging to the prominent Danish barrister Christian Ludvig David, now houses an extraordinary array of Islamic art, European fine and applied art, and Danish early modern art. The National Gallery of Denmark, known as Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), is an art lover’s haven. It houses Denmark’s largest and most celebrated collection of art, offering an immersive experience through seven centuries of artistic expression.

Practical Information for Visiting the David Collection

The museum’s main attractions are its over 100 historic buildings, each carefully transported from its original location from various regions of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. Known as “Denmark in a Nutshell,” the collection includes farmhouses, cottages, a school, a village shop, windmills, and even an 18th-century manor house. The museum also houses an impressive collection of Asian art and crafts, and a European Art of the 18th-century section which reflects upon the designs that influenced Danish aesthetics. These collections offer a broader context, tracing the international influences that have shaped Danish design. Another highlight is the museum’s glass-domed Winter Garden, which is filled with statues, palm trees and a fountain. These buildings represent various regional architectural styles and social classes, from the humble thatched fishermen’s huts to the grand manor houses.

Housing a vast collection of Danish and European works from the 14th century to the present day, Denmark’s national art museum remains the city’s biggest cultural attraction. Highlights include the beautifully lit landscapes of the Skagen School and Vilhelm Hammershøi’s muted 19th-century Copenhagen interiors. Look out for SMK Fridays, when the museum opens during the evening, lets visitors in for free and puts on a spread of drinks, street food and live music. One of the world’s most enchanting museums, the Louisiana will likely prove the highlight of any visit to Copenhagen.

If you love architecture as much as Jacky and I do, you’ll have a blast at the DAC. If you are feeling adventurous, you can even go down the DAC’s unique 40-meter, 4-story spiral slide. N.B. The Zoological Museum is presently closed as the Natural History Museum is undergoing renovation. The winding spiral staircase that leads to a walkway high above the ground, offering a unique perspective of the tropical canopy, is a popular Copenhagen Instagram location. Jason with the Golden Fleece is considered to be the artist’s first great masterpiece and remains for me the highlight of the museum.

I love that the museum’s Learning Space offers hands-on activities, allowing visitors of all ages to get creative and engage directly with the principles of Danish design. The museum is housed in one of Copenhagen’s finest Rococo buildings, the former King Frederik’s Hospital, serving as a fitting testament to the elegance and simplicity that underpins Danish design philosophy. One of the museum’s main highlights is the prehistoric collection, specifically the exhibit dedicated to the Vikings. Here, you’ll come face-to-face with Viking weapons, rune stones, and intricately crafted jewelry that tell tales of a time when these seafaring warriors and traders were a formidable force in Northern Europe. Located in the heart of Copenhagen, housed within the 18th-century Prince’s Palace, this museum is as historic as the artifacts it hosts.