Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark

So it’s a big ‘thumbs up’ for Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Ba dum tss…

If you are visiting Copenhagen, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is one place that must not be missed for those interested in art and design. Situated in the small town of Humlebæk, north Zealand, this gallery is the very best modern art gallery in Scandinavia, and the second most visited pay to enter attraction in Denmark, behind Tivoli fun fair.

Getting to Louisiana from Copenhagen

To get to Louisiana, is a 35 minute train ride from Copenhagen Central Station to Humlebæk – it is on the way to Hesingør. I recommend buying a return ticket with Louisiana entrance included, which knocks a little of the price. It’s about a ten minute walk from the station, it’s well sign posted, and as there is pretty much nothing else in Humlebæk, it’s where everyone else getting off the train is going. The entrance price is at the time of writing 110 Kroner. Which is about 12  British pounds or 20 US dollars.

The Louisiana collection

The permanent collection changes from time to time, subject to the visiting exhibitions. They have some fantastic 20th and 21st century works. An excellent collection of Giacometti sculptures, and if you are lucky with the timing of your visit, there are some great Giacometti drawings too. Yves Klein, Warhol, Dubuffet, Hockney, Rauschenberg, Moore, Bourgeois, Guston, Jorn, Baselitz, Polke, Kiefer and Kirkeby are all featured. They have enough of a fair share of big guns, to guarantee some big guns are always on show.

To see which exhibitions are visiting for your visit check out the Louisiana exhibitions page here.

The Louisiana experience

I’ve taken people to Louisiana not at all interested in art, and they have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. (Believe me, my dear old Dad, would have said!) The building covers a large area and is situated in gardens with amongst others Moore and Miro sculptures dotted around. On a beautiful day the views over The Oresund to Sweden are stunning. There’s a very nice restaurant/cafe with modern Scandinavian sandwiches and cake. You can have a beer or a glass of wine, and it’s a great chance for having a sly look at the Danish and Swedish middle class, in their element. There’s a kids bit too, but as I’ve no kids I can’t vouch for it.

Fun facts

• The main building, from which the name Louisiana took it’s name, was given the name by a man who had three wives (not at the same time) all these women were named Louise. Louise in Danish is pronounced ‘Louisa’. Hence the name, Louisiana.
• A number of years ago I  found myself in a sick tent at Roskilde Festival. I got chatting to a big tough looking Dutch guy, with suspected broken ribs. I asked, ‘were you down the front at a concert when it happened?’ He replied, ‘no, I was rolling down the hill at Louisiana yesterday…’
• The wifi code for Louisiana is, ‘louisiana’.
• It’s a great place for bumping into thingy from The Killing/The Bridge/Borgen. As out of work actors mingle with the plebs, safe in the knowledge Danes will leave them alone. Janteloven!