There are some excellent museums dedicated to art and design in Copenhagen and the surrounding area. My favorite was the trip to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art with it spectacular location on the water with views of Sweden. Don’t miss:
NY Carlsberg Glyptoteket: At Dante Plads 7, next to Tivoli Gardens, this is a major art museum that is a must on your itinerary. There were Rodin and Degas sculptures and wonderful French paintings in the contemporary new wing with works by Degas, Gauguin, Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh, Manet and Monet. There is a café that overlooks the indoor winter garden.
Dansk Design Center: At H.C. Andersens Blvd 27, this is Denmark’s knowledge center for design. The exhibitions ranged from the history of some Danish design and products to shows about new materials that are being created for use in products and architecture.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art: This is a leading museum of modern art located in Humlebaek, a small village north of the city. You go the Central Station and take the S-train B,C, or E to Hellerup and then switch to trains to Helsingor. Check with the information booth, as the transfer was due to work on the tracks and it may not be necessary in the future. The museum is quite stunning along the water. There was a major exhibition that I enjoyed on Nordic Architecture. I also liked a number of contemporary works, particularly those by Danish artist Asger Jorn and Picasso, Warhol and Rauschenberg plus the sculptures by Calder, Giacometti and Henry Moore. There is a café with a full buffet and other ala carte items. The views overlooking the water and sculpture garden were incredible.
Statens Museum for Kunst/National Galley of Denmark: I thought this was an outstanding art museum, located at Selvdade 48-50. I saw an amazing Matisse exhibition as well as a great show of Degas bronzes. There are other great collections of Rodin sculptures and Danish art. The new wing is really excellent with some interesting French art including works by Matisse, Andre Derain and Georges Braque. Add it to your list of museums to visit.
Rosenborg Castle and Museum: King Christian IV built Rosenborg in 1606-34 as a summer castle. It is really worthwhile to visit; you can see the state rooms which have remained intact from the early kings who lived there. There are wonderful paintings, furniture and tapestries to see.
If you have time, you might check out the Kunsthal Charlottenborg; it is one of the largest for contemporary art in Europe, presenting an ambitious program of exhibitions and events including talks, performances, concerts and screenings. It is located at Nyhavn 2.
