Thorvaldsen Museum, the oldest museum in Denmark, pays tribute to a single artist: the 19th-century sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who carved monuments and busts for the likes of Pope Pius VII, Napoleon and Johannes Gutenberg. The sculptor’s vast collection of neoclassical bronze and marble statues is now housed under one roof on the small, central island of Slotsholmen, displayed alongside his personal repository of antique objects, paintings, personal sketches and belongings. The museum is an architectural as well as a historic triumph. Brought to life by neo-classical architect Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll, Thorvaldsen’s atmospheric and arch-ceilinged salons are painted in bright colors with mosaic floors and Pompeian-style ceilings. Thorvaldsens Museum Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads 2 1213 Copenhagen Denmark TwitterFacebookPinterest Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 50 Museum Fatigue Bored? It’s not your fault. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Simone Bodmer-Turner Meet the artist throwing clay a curveball. Arts & Culture Issue 46 Studio Visit: Yoko Kubrick In the studio with a sculptor of monuments and mythologies. Arts & Culture Issue 41 CULT ROOMS Inside Alexander Calder’s studio, where chaos and kinetic art found a harmonious balance. Arts & Culture City Guide Issue 32 Asakura Museum of Sculpture A converted sculptor’s studio. Arts & Culture Issue 31 Nevine Mahmoud Meet the sculptor who wrings succulence from stone.
Arts & Culture Issue 46 Studio Visit: Yoko Kubrick In the studio with a sculptor of monuments and mythologies.
Arts & Culture Issue 41 CULT ROOMS Inside Alexander Calder’s studio, where chaos and kinetic art found a harmonious balance.