OK, so maybe Bornholm is not part of greater Copenhagen. But I did go there and I did see an amazing .museum, so I'm gonna play it a little bit loose with Danish geography.
Bornholms Kunstmuseum, Gudhjem (
http://www.bornholms-kunstmuseum.dk)
Only 41,000 people live on the small and exceedingly charming island of Bornholm, which sits in the Baltic off the Swedish coast but is officially part of Denmark. Now that I am denizen of the booming metropolis of Copenhagen, I had to admit my expectations were pretty low going into a small musuem on this tiny island. Dashed expectations are the best.
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The beautifully designed and situated Bornholm Art Museum
Designed by Danish architects Johan Fogh and Per Folner, the museum unfolds along a bright central corridor and follows the downward path of the hillside. On the top floor, older paintings by Bornholm artists are hung in small rooms with colorful walls and small pocket windows framing the views out to the coastline and the long-horned yaks in the field. The lower galleries featured a European Art Glass exhibition the day we were there. From the looks of their previous catalogues, decorative arts seems to be a pretty constant feature here. Bornholm has a strong craft tradition, so this makes a lot of sense.
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| Contemporary glass by a Danish artist - my apologies for not writing down his/her name. |
The lowermost floor ( with windows, so basement is the wrong word) led outside to a viewing platform, and featured a softly lit works-on-paper gallery with a rippled ceiling and an additional gallery for the permanent collection of decorative arts.
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| Rare opportunity to use the Danish word "gangbro" for this ramp to the viewing platform. |
The battery light on my camera was screaming at me, but luckily held out for one last view of the amazing glass exhibition at Bornholms Kunstmuseum.
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| Contemporary glass installation by a Swedish artist- ditto my apologies for not getting the artist's name. |
Arken Museum of Modern Art, Ishoj (http://www.arken.dk/)
Arken is another stunning modern building on a dramatic seaside spot, on the Koge Bay in the dunes of Ishoj, a southern suburb of Copenhagen. Arken opened in 1996 and the design, by Soren Robert Lund, is meant to, and does, suggest a long, lean ship foundered in the dunes.
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| Arken, on a day with beautiful clouds and a beautiful Danish visitor (my sister-in-law). |
I remember visiting Arken soon after it had opened and feeling like the collection didn't live up to the promise of the building, but that is no longer the case. The first major gallery has an amazingly strong collection of Damien Hirst pieces, one of which was commissioned for Arken.
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Damien Hirst room at Arken
The following gallery had a small but extremely select group of sculpture, paintings and installation pieces by British, American and Scandinavian artists. Someone has clearly done a good job of meeting important Danish collectors; the development director on me noticed some repeat credit lines from room to room.
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The big show this fall at Arken is "India: Art Now" and is a remarkable selection of contemporary work from India, alongside a gorgeously arranged exhibition of Indian fashion. From what I have heard and read, the show is somewhat political as there is a great deal of tension now between Denmark and India over a very complicated court case involving an un-rendered defendant on Danish soil. Hard to say what the show, and the complementary program of Indian-made independent films at the Danish Film Institute, will do to soften the situation. But I came away with a greater appreciation for the contemporary art and fashion scene in India. So I can only assume that others did, too.
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| India: Fashion Now exhibition at Arken |
The Indian show ends in January 2013, and I'm not sure what's coming up next, but I'm definitely coming back to eat in this beautiful dining room.
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Sun-filled dining room at Arken overlooking Koge Bay
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Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen (http://www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/)
And now for something completely different, old art in an old building.
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| Thorvaldsens Museum in central Copenhagen |
Bertel Thorvaldsen ( 1770-1844) was a Danish sculptor in the Neoclassical tradition who spent most of his professional life in Rome, where he enjoyed commissions for portrait and architectural sculpture throughout Europe. After his death, the contents of his studio came back to Copenhagen, including plaster casts for all his important commissions, myriad marble statues and friezes, his personal collection of ancient Roman coins and seals, and his furnishings, which included paintings by Danish and European artists of the day. A special museum was purpose-built to house all of these items and opened in 1848. The sides of the building are decorated with scenes of his collection being unloaded from ships and unearthed from crates.
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| Decorations on the outside walls of the Thorvaldsens Museum |
The Thorvaldsens Museum occupies a prime piece of real estate in central Copenhagen, right next to Christiansborg Palace (the Parliament), and looks out on a broad public square (Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads, not coincidentally) across form Gammel Strand. It is frankly remarkable to me that this fixed collection museum dedicated to the work of an artist that few people outside of Denmark have ever heard of, still occupies this central location. But it is a wonderful place and I'm glad that the Danes aren't like the Americans, who tear stuff down the minute it becomes unfashionable.
The Thorvaldsens Museum has also kept itself relevant by integrating modern pieces into its display, and by hosting outdoor performances and light shows on its interesting facade. In 2012, the museum has held a series of exhibitions which place modern furniture and Danish design in among the galleries.
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| Galleries at Thorvaldsens with contemporary furniture |
I wouldn't say that Thorvaldsen's art is my all-time favorite. Too many sober portraits, putti, robed and unrobed goddesses for most of us, although he does get a little crazy with the satyrs and other hybrids. But the collection gives a great overview of classical mythology, as it was presented to early 19th-century viewers.
And, in what is fast becoming the theme of this blogpost, the museum building itself is worth the trip. Each room in the Thorvaldsens has delicately plastered and painted ceilings ( same designer as the Carlsberg Glyptotek), marble mosaic floors and richly painted walls in dark green, maroon, gold, cream and deep blue.
And.....Kanal Cafeen is right around the corner.
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| Richly decorated ceiling at the Thorvaldsens Museum |
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