International Art Treasures Web Magazine

January 2005  

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Celebrate in Majestic Copenhagen!

Title: The Hirschsprung Collection with its many important works from the Danish Golden Age to the Skagen painters and Symbolists occupies an important place in the Danish museum world.
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

Architecture, authors and art are merely three of the numerous attractions the Scandinavian city, Copenhagen has to offer to her visitors. 2005 will be a phenomenal year for the residents and visitors as the Danish capital honors the 200th birthday of Hans Christian Andersen with multiple events and festivities to celebrate one of the world's finest authors.

Title: The Marble Church (Marmorkirken)
The interior of the dome-shaped Marble Church. The construction of the church lasted from 1749 to 1894. Today also used for concerts and lectures.
Photographer: WoCo
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

Architecture

Danes, like their royal cousins in England, have a Queen heading their royal family. Many of the resplendent buildings are palaces.

The Palaces

Christianborg

Bordered by canals on three sides Christianborg is where the Danish monarch receives official visitors. At one point in the castle's long history it was the official royal residence.

Title: Christianborg Palace is - among other things - home of the Danish House of Parliament.
Photographer: Cees van Roeden
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

How does one honor their Queen? In 1990 the Danish Business Community decided to mark the monarch's 50th birthday celebrations by commissioning a series of tapestries. The project was a vast undertaking.

Title: Queen Margrethe II's 11 tapestries
The gobelin series at Christiansborg Palace is made by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard and recounts the history of Denmark and the world, including the Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Absolute Monarchy, the Reformation, World War II, the Present and even the Future. A present for Queen Margrethe II's' 50th birthday and presented 10 years later, but now owned by the Danish population.
Photographer: Ireneusz Cyranek
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

First Bjørn Nørgaard painted the full-size images in preparation for the weavers. Then the French Goeblin team wove their magic and produced the tapestries in time for the Queen's 60th birthday. The the labor in producing the works was intense but the end product more than worth the 10-year effort.

Her Majesty, Queen Margrethe II decided such an important item reflecting the history of the Danes should belong to the people of Denmark and donated them to the state. They are on view in the Great Hall of Christiansborg Palace.

Amalienborg

Title: Amalienborg Palace
When Queen Margrethe II is in residence in Amalienborg, the Changing of the Guard is accompanied by music from the Life Guards' Music Corps. If the Queen is out of town, the Changing of the Guard still takes place, but without musical accompaniment.
Photographer: Klaus Bentzen
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

Royal residences naturally require guards and a must-see is the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony at Amalienborg. The palace consists of four separate yet identical buildings in the Rococo style form Amalienborg.

Across from the Queen's residence at Amalienborg is the palace named for Christian VIII. It is in this palace that the Amalienborg museum is found.

Title: Queen Louise's Drawing Room
Amalienborg, The Royal Danish Collection
Christian VIII's Palace, Copenhagen
Image Courtesy: Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg Palace is home to a portion of the Royal Collection sure to delight and enchant visitors.

Title: Frederik IX's Study,
Amalienborg, The Royal Danish Collection
Christian VIII's Palace, Copenhagen
Image Courtesy: Amalienborg Palace

Hans Christian Andersen

Nobel Prize Laureates, actors, royalty and singers across the globe have agreed to take part as HCA ambassadors for their own country. The Irish have John Hume, the English Sir Roger Moore, the Americans Harry Belafonte to name just a few of those willing to donate their time to celebrate the noted author.

Title: Sir Roger Moore, Sandi Toksvig, Sir David Frost, HKH Crown Prince Frederik, HKH Crown Princess Mary, Jackie Wullschlager, Dame Antonia Byatt, Michael Morpurgo
Image Courtesy: Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation

Among the events the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, has sponsored is a book illustrating the fairytales called Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales in Pictures - An Illustrated History.

Hans Christian Andersen inspired one of the world's most famous sculptures. Overlooking the magnificent Copenhagen Harbor, one will find The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid

Title: The Little Mermaid continues to be the most popular tourist attraction in Denmark and one of the most photographed statues in the world.
Artist: Edward Ericksen (Danish)
Dimensions: H: 165 cm
Photographer: Morten Jerichau
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

It was a ballet performance of The Little Mermaid that became the catalyst for Copenhagen's landmark feature. Among the audience attending the 1909 performance was brewing magnate Carl Jacobsen. The performance inspired the businessman to commission a statue to honor the famous story.

The lucky recipient of this important commission was Edward Eriksen. He used his wife Eline as his model and began work, opting to choose the precise instance as the mermaid transforms from sea to human creature.

The Little Mermaid was gifted to the city by her commissioner on August 23, 1913 and, sitting on a granite stone, she overlooks the sea from Langelinie Pier.

Title: The Oresund Bridge
The bridge that connects Denmark and Sweden
Photographer: Morten Bjarnhof
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

Copenhagen Art Museums & Galleries

Statens Museums for Kunst

Title: The Front of J. V. Dahlerups Building - Springtime
Photographer: SMK Foto
Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst

The Statens Museums for Kunst houses an impressive collection of art. The Wilhelm Dahlerup designed building itself dates from 1896 and certainly reflects the architectural influences of that age.

The collection history owes much to Frederik V. His German art specialist, Gerhard Morell, influenced the attainment of paintings that would form the base for the Danish State Art Collection. The King added European art to his collection, including Andrea Mantegna's Christ as the Suffering Redeemer. The 19th century acquisitions focused predominantly upon building an extensive Danish art collection. In 1928 the Museum acquired, through donation, the noted French Modernist painting collection amassed by Johannes Rump.

The Statens Museums for Kunst, besides holding an impressive art collection hosts traveling exhibits.

Turner and Romantic Nature
through January 9, 2005

Romance shines through the delightful impressionist scenes captured with the paintbrush of Joseph Mallord William Turner. The exhibition organized with the Tate Britain has, rather obviously, been a resounding success. The Statens Museums for Kunst found it necessary to extend opening hours given the demand to see this excellent exhibition.

The exhibition focuses on the impressions of nature upon the artists and follows the creative process, often unique to an artist, through to the final rendition.

The Museum has organized an exhibit as part of the HCA 2005 Birthday celebrations.

Hans Christian Anderson and Italy
February 12 - June 12, 2005

Title: A Group of Danish Artists in Rome, 1837
Artist: Constantin Hansen (Danish, 1804 - 1880)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Photographer: SMK Foto
Permanent Collection and Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst

Visual artists were known for the pilgrimage to Italy, taking the opportunity to view and learn from the legacy of the Renaissance masters. The painters and sculptors did not make the journey alone.

In the words of Hans Christian Andersen, referring to his premiere Italian journey, "There I learned about nature and art." His first novel, The Improviser, contained his impressions of Italy and was published in 1835. Andersen lived in the midst of the Danish Art Community of Italy at Via Sistina.

The exhibit is thematically divided by noted Italian locales such as the Coliseum, the Forum and Piazza Barberini.

Thorvaldsens Museum

Copenhagen's native son, Bertel Thorvaldsen, is second only to Antonio Canova as the most celebrated sculptor of the Neo-Classical movement.

The museum bearing his name and built in his honor is home to one of his most famous pieces, Jason. The Thorvaldsens Museum is a testament to the artist's work and to his impressive art collection. His tomb is in the courtyard of the museum.

Title: Thorvaldsens Museum and Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads
Photographer: Ole Woldbye
Image Courtesy: Thorvaldsens Museum

Casting History: Thorvaldsen's Cast Collection Revisited

It has been decades since the complete Thorvaldsens' Cast Collection has been on view together. The collection was acquired during the 40 years he lived in Rome. Heavily reflective of Classical Antiquities the collection is presented as it might have been belonging to a private collector. Less focused on a theme based organization it is found as one might be able to view it the way the owner would present to favored guests.

Casts were used as a teaching method and were an incredibly popular tool during the time of Thorvaldsen and certainly influenced his work. Casting History is presented alongside a retrospective of the artist's own work in an exhibit called Thorvaldsen and Antiquity.

Title: Thorvaldsens Museum Entrance Hall
Photographer: Ole Woldbye
Image Courtesy: Thorvaldsens Museum

Thorvaldsen's most famous commissions were the tomb of Pope Pius II, found at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and Lord Byron's monument at Trinity College, in Cambridge.

The Hirschsprung Collection

Hirschsprung predominately collected works of 19th Century Danish artists.  He understood the importance of obtaining the preliminary sketches the artist made before the final rendition and this is an integral part of the collection.

The donor personally selected Hermann Baagøe Storck as the architect for the museum that would hold the collection he gifted to Denmark and bears his name. His choice was accepted and the Hirschsprung Collection opened to the public in 1911.

Title: Summer Evening at the Beach at Skagen.
The Painter and his Wife., 1899
Artist: P. S. Krøyer (Danish)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 135 x 187 cm
Image Courtesy and Permanent Collection: The Hirschsprung Collection

Galleri Noerby

Title: Galleri Noerby Denmark's leading gallery in modern Danish ceramics situated in the heart of Copenhagen
Photographer: Morten Bjarnhof
Image Courtesy: Wonderful Copenhagen

Contemporary ceramics are on display at Gallery Nørby. The exhibition space rotates its collection approximately ten times annually. It is located in the shopping district of downtown Copenhagen, near Strøget Street.

The current exhibit, through January 29th, 2005 features the innovative techniques of Sandra Davolio.

The architecture, authors and art locales discussed are just the tip of a massive iceberg of what Copenhagen has to offer to their natives and the visiting public. The city is vibrant and bustling with activity anytime but with all the special events scheduled to celebrate the 200th birthday of Hans Christian Andersen 2005 is the year to revisit the beautiful port city, or make the first of what will likely become several journeys to view the treasures that are found in Copenhagen.