SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark)

The heart of Danish art in a grand city setting

SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst is Denmark’s National Gallery, anchoring the northern edge of Copenhagen’s historic centre where busy streets give way to the green calm of Østre Anlæg park. The original 1890s sandstone and brick façade, with its arched windows and sculptural ornament, sets a formal tone that reflects the museum’s royal origins, when much of the collection was held by Danish monarchs. Today, the institution feels open and contemporary, welcoming you into a spacious lobby that acts as a crossroads between old master galleries, modern wings and public gathering spaces. The building occupies an entire city block, yet it never feels intimidating. Views to the surrounding trees and lawns soften the architecture, and large windows allow natural light to filter into stairwells and corridors. This dialogue between city, park and museum is central to SMK’s character, making it feel both like an urban landmark and a cultural retreat.

Royal collections and seven centuries of images

At the core of SMK is an extraordinary collection that spans more than 700 years. Works that once formed the Royal Collection now hang in high-ceilinged galleries: luminous Renaissance panels, Italian and Flemish religious scenes, and dramatic Baroque canvases full of swirling fabric and intense expressions. You can trace how painting evolved from devotional images to portraits and everyday scenes, following the changing tastes of kings, merchants and citizens. Graphic art has a strong presence here too. An extensive print and drawing collection offers insight into the working minds of artists, from delicate etchings to bold woodcuts. While access to the dedicated Print Room requires advance arrangements, its holdings underpin many temporary displays and research projects throughout the museum, giving SMK a scholarly depth beneath its polished presentation.

Danish Golden Age and the story of a nation

One of SMK’s defining strengths is its unparalleled collection of Danish Golden Age art from the early 19th century. In these rooms you encounter tranquil Copenhagen street scenes, clear northern light over lakes and harbours, and intimate interiors that seem almost acoustically quiet. Painters of this period helped shape how Denmark saw itself, celebrating both modest domestic spaces and the wider landscape at a time of political and social change. Alongside the Golden Age galleries, later 19th‑century Danish works show the move towards realism and symbolism: coastal villages under heavy skies, farmers at work, and portraits charged with introspection. Taken together, these rooms allow you to read Danish history through images, from monarchy and empire to a smaller, modern nation that began to look outward again.

French modernism and global conversations

SMK is also renowned for its collection of early 20th‑century French art, including key works by Matisse, Picasso, Braque and their contemporaries. Acquired through a visionary private collection, these paintings and sculptures bring the shock of modernism vividly to life: fractured cubist still lifes, bold colour experiments and radical reworkings of the human figure. Their presence in Copenhagen underlines how closely Danish artists engaged with European avant‑garde currents. These international highlights sit in dialogue with Nordic modernism and Danish contemporary art. Moving through the galleries, you may find a Hammershøi interior near a conceptual installation or a video work, making it easy to sense how themes such as identity, power, nature and the body recur across time, even as styles change dramatically.

A glass street of sculptures and a living museum

Towards the rear, the historic building meets a sleek 1990s extension linked by a glass‑walled passage known as the “Street of Sculptures”. This light-filled spine runs the length of the museum, framing views of the park outside while placing classical figures and modern pieces side by side. It also doubles as a social space, hosting talks, concerts and performance-based works that underline SMK’s role as a living cultural hub rather than a static repository. Throughout the museum, you will find well-designed rest areas, a bookshop with art publications and design objects, and a café that looks out over Østre Anlæg’s trees and an old magnolia grove. The combination of rigorous curatorial standards and relaxed public spaces makes it easy to spend several hours here, whether you are delving deeply into a particular period or simply wandering and letting individual works catch your eye.

Spaces for reflection, learning and creative play

Beyond traditional gallery visits, SMK offers an evolving programme of temporary exhibitions, workshops and talks that encourage visitors to look more closely and think more broadly about art. Some rooms invite interactive engagement or provide materials for sketching and note-taking, blurring the line between observer and participant. Quiet corners, especially in the older wings, lend themselves to unhurried contemplation, while family-friendly areas introduce children to art through play and storytelling. Between the park outside and the calm interiors within, the museum becomes a place not only to see important works, but also to pause, reflect and reconnect with your own creativity.