Danish Golden Age The art historian/critic and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Niels Lauritz Høyen, became the curator of the royal collections in 1839. He used his power and influence to buy Danish art. He was instrumental, therefore, in the creating the fine collection of works by CW Eckersberg and his followers. That Denmark was able to…
National Gallery of Denmark, Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark Like practically everywhere else in Copenhagen, the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK), which I was expecting to be not that interesting, was absolutely fantastic. The Danes are masters of doing everything wonderfully. The museum itself is attractive, the art is great, the lighting, the level of information given – everything was…
…continued from Part Two… Near East A small but interesting selection of objects from the Near East starts our exploration of the ancient world – with a brief detour to the 14th century for a cute bowl from Antioch. Ancient Egypt The museum has an unexpectedly fascinating collection of Egyptian objects – I could have spent longer looking, but it…
The National Museum of Denmark, Nationalmuseet, Denmark, Copenhagen If you’ve by chance read any other posts of mine on Copenhagen, then you will already know that I love the city. And its people. And its museums. The Danish National Museum was, I feel, grossly undersold by the guide books I consulted, and therefore I didn’t set aside enough time to explore…
From the Danish Royal Family’s Lofts and Cellars Exhibition, at Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark One of the reasons why I wanted to write this post, even though it refers to a trip I made a long time ago, is because I wanted to share the temporary exhibition that was on at Amalienborg during my visit in December 2016. Basically, the…
Amalienborg, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark’s royal family is much loved by the Danes: they have 82-92% approval ratings, which is partly to do with their humility – apparently it’s not unusual to literally bump into prominent members of the royal family in the streets of Copenhagen (I’ve seen a photo of the Crown Princess cycling her children to school in the…
…Continued from Part One… Greece and Rome The stars of the collection are in the upstairs galleries. The Roman art is, frankly, extraordinary. Jacobsen had an agent in Rome who helped him acquire some of the most beautiful and delicate works of art – and the range of busts is even more amazing. But let’s begin with a lion, who…
The Carlsberg Glyptotek, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark The name Carlsberg is synonymous with beer. It’s quite funny that with every bottle of beer that got guzzled, the Carlsberg family was able to amass a fortune which was put towards buying art. Next time you want a beer that supports the fine arts, buy Carlsberg. But seriously, the history of…
Christiansborg Palace, Christiansborg Slot, Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Palaces confuse me. Sometimes, they are fun to visit, and sometimes they are incredibly dull, so they are not an automatic ‘must do’ for me. Having enjoyed the Amalienborg, we decided to trot along to the Christiansborg, and I’m glad we did. Actually, Christiansborg is not just used as a royal palace, but it’s…
In Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark As someone who has been to two theme parks in her whole life, I don’t know much about rides. Honestly, the last time I went was when I was in my mid-twenties. I felt like the oldest woman ever. I gamely went on all the rides that my companions wanted to go on, but I…