4 museums to visit in Denmark

Denmark does museums rather well. Here, the architecture is often as much a part of the experience as the art itself, with some of the country’s best-known art museums designed by architects including Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert at Louisiana, Søren Robert Lund at ARKEN and Schmidt Hammer Lassen at ARoS. A museum visit can mean a walk by the water, a building worth seeing in its own right, or an hour spent looking at the sky through a hole in the ceiling. Below is our pick of four museums in Denmark worth making time for.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Image credit Jeremy Jachym. Image courtesy of Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

#FLODown: There are art museums with good views, and then there is Louisiana. About 35km north of Copenhagen, the museum sits between the coast and the woods at Humlebæk, its low white buildings almost disappearing into the landscape. The collection ranges across modern and contemporary art, with names such as Giacometti, Warhol and Louise Bourgeois represented, but it is the way the museum is laid out that makes a visit particularly satisfying. Galleries open on to gardens; windows frame the Øresund; sculptures appear among the trees rather than being confined to plinths indoors.

In summer, it is tempting to spend as much time outside as in. The sculpture garden slopes towards the water, you can look at art, walk through the grounds and sit by the sea without ever feeling that you have left the museum.

Louisiana is an easy day trip from Copenhagen, but it is better approached without a tight schedule. Allow an afternoon.

Location: Gl. Strandvej 13, 3050 Humlebæk, Denmark. Website: louisiana.dkInstagram :@louisianamuseum

ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art

ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art. Image credit Anders Sune Berg. Image courtesy of ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art

#FLODown: South of Copenhagen, beyond the city and close to Køge Bay, ARKEN has an impressive building that can make you forget what you came to see inside. Designed by the Danish architect Søren Robert Lund, it resembles a ship run aground on the shore, angular, dark and deliberately out of place against the surrounding landscape.

ARKEN has a rotating programme of temporary exhibitions, with recent shows including Anish Kapoor’s Unseen, Julian Charrière’s Solastalgia and Marguerite Humeau’s Torches. Its exhibitions have covered subjects ranging from nature and technology to contemporary life, with both established and emerging artists represented.

Although it is outside the city, ARKEN is less than an hour from central Copenhagen, making it an easy addition to a day in the capital. Its setting near Køge Bay, with beach, dunes and lagoon nearby, is another reason to make the trip.

Location: Skovvej 100, 2635 Ishøj, Denmark. Website:arken.dk Instagram: @arkenmuseum

ARoS Aarhus Art Museum

Your rainbow panorama, Olafur Eliasson. ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. Image credit Mads Smidstrup. Image courtesy of ARoS Aarhus Art Museum

#FLODown: Aarhus has one of Denmark’s most recognisable museum buildings, and it is difficult to miss. ARoS rises above the city centre with Olafur Eliasson’s Your Rainbow Panorama perched on its roof, a circular glass walkway in which the city appears successively through red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.

It is an artwork, but also an unusually effective way of seeing Aarhus!

There is something more contemplative downstairs. ARoS houses an extensive collection of Danish and international modern and contemporary art, spread over several floors. In June, ARoS opened a brand-new Skyspace by James Turrell, the 100th of the American artist’s career and the largest of its kind to date.

Turrell’s work explores light, colour and perception, with the sky becoming part of the artwork itself. The changing light throughout the day alters the way the space looks and feels, making each visit slightly different. We visited the Skyspace ourselves and can confirm that it is well worth seeing. Click here for a visual preview at James Turrell’s As Seen Below – The Dome, currently on view at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum.

Location: Aros Allé 2, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Website: aros.dk Instagram:@arosmuseum

SMK – National Gallery of Denmark

SMK – National Gallery of Denmark. Image courtesy of SMK

#FLODown: In central Copenhagen, SMK offers the broadest view of Denmark’s artistic history. The country’s national gallery holds a collection spanning 700 years, from European art of the Middle Ages and the Danish Golden Age to French modernism and contemporary work.

The museum is also worth exploring for its setting and architecture. Its historic building and modern extension are linked by the glass-covered Sculpture Street, while outside, Østre Anlæg provides a stretch of greenery in the heart of the city. Alongside its permanent collection, SMK runs a changing programme of temporary exhibitions throughout the year, bringing new artists and themes into the museum alongside the works on permanent display.

In summer, the museum is particularly well suited to a slower visit. Its position beside Østre Anlæg makes it a fabulous spot for a wander or even a picnic after visiting the gallery, and during July and August, visitors can borrow drawing materials to take outside and sketch in the gardens.

For anyone with limited time in Copenhagen, SMK is a good place to get a sense of the country’s artistic story in one visit.

Location: Sølvgade 48–50, 1307 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Website:smk.dkInstagram:@smkdk