National Gallery of Denmark (SMK): Verified listing

The National Gallery of Denmark, known as Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), is the country’s largest art museum and a key institution for both Danish and international art. Located in central Copenhagen near the city’s Østre Anlæg park, the museum’s origins date back to 1827, when it began as a royal art collection. Its current main building, an imposing neo-Renaissance structure from 1896, is joined to a sleek modern extension via a glass-covered “street” that symbolically links tradition with innovation—mirroring the SMK’s mission to present art across centuries in fresh and relevant ways.

The museum’s collection spans more than 700 years, from the early Renaissance to cutting-edge contemporary works. It holds the most comprehensive collection of Danish art anywhere, featuring masters such as Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Christen Købke, and Vilhelm Hammershøi, as well as significant holdings of European art, including works by Mantegna, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Matisse. The SMK also houses an extensive collection of drawings and prints, plus modern and contemporary art by figures such as Louise Bourgeois, Per Kirkeby, and Olafur Eliasson. Temporary exhibitions often pair old masters with contemporary voices, creating dynamic conversations across time periods.

More than just a gallery, the SMK is an active cultural hub, hosting lectures, workshops, performances, and free Friday events that open the museum up to a wider audience. Its airy spaces, sculpture garden, and inviting café encourage lingering, while its digital initiatives and research programs keep it at the forefront of museum innovation. By combining world-class art with accessibility and engagement, the National Gallery of Denmark offers visitors an experience that is both deeply rooted in history and vibrantly connected to the present.