Statens Museum for Kunst

The national gallery holds seven centuries of European and Danish art, and its building tells you how it grew: the original 1896 block, heavy and classical, was joined in 1998 to a modern glass wing by a long top-lit hall called the Sculpture Street, which runs between the two and is used for large works and for sitting. The Danish holdings are the reason to come, particularly the Golden Age painters of the early nineteenth century, Eckersberg, Kobke and their circle, whose small clear studies of Copenhagen light are among the best things in Danish art, and the Skagen painters later in the century. The European collection includes Mantegna, Titian, Rubens and a strong group of Matisse. Behind the museum lies the King's Garden.

History

The collection began in the Art Chamber of the Danish kings. Around 1750 Gerhard Morell, keeper of Frederick V's Art Chamber, suggested a separate collection of paintings, and the king bought on a large scale, Italian, Netherlandish and German works and especially Flemish and Dutch art, the most important purchase being Andrea Mantegna's Christ as the Suffering Redeemer. The Royal Picture Gallery was housed in Christiansborg Palace until the fire of 1884, and the art found a new home only when the museum opened in 1896. In the 19th century it bought almost only Danish art, which gave it an unrivalled collection of Golden Age painting, made possible by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts founded in 1754, and in 1928 Johannes Rump gave it his large collection of early French modernist painting (Wikipedia, National Gallery of Denmark).

The main sights

• The Sculpture Street - a top-lit hall linking old building to new wing.
• Danish Golden Age painting - Eckersberg, Kobke and the Copenhagen studies.
• A Matisse group - one of the stronger holdings outside France.
• Old master European rooms - Mantegna, Titian and Rubens.

When to go

Year round. Two to three hours. Closed Mondays. The permanent collection is free, which makes short repeat visits practical. Weekday mornings are quietest.

Good to know

It is big and the layout between old and new wings is confusing on a first visit. Temporary exhibitions are charged separately and can be expensive. Some Danish Golden Age rooms are dimly lit for conservation. The cafe queues at lunchtime.

Nearby

The Botanical Garden and Rosenborg Castle are next door; the David Collection is a short walk.

Key facts