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

A national gallery at the heart of Copenhagen’s art story

SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst is Denmark’s national gallery, occupying a commanding position on Sølvgade right where the city centre blends into the leafy Østre Anlæg park. Here, seven centuries of art are gathered under one roof, telling both the story of Danish painting and its dialogue with the wider European canon. The museum grew out of royal collections that were opened to the public in the 19th century, and today it serves as the country’s key institution for collecting, researching, and presenting art from the 1300s to the present. From the moment you arrive, SMK feels purpose-built for lingering. Wide staircases, generous foyers and long sightlines make it easy to orient yourself, while the presence of students, families and art professionals gives the building a quietly studious energy. Temporary exhibitions and an active programme of talks, performances and workshops ensure there is almost always something new in dialogue with the permanent collections.

From Renaissance treasures to Danish Golden Age masterpieces

The historic heart of SMK lies in its galleries devoted to European art and the celebrated Danish Golden Age. Rooms of warm-toned walls and high ceilings showcase works by artists such as Rubens, Mantegna and Derain, placing them alongside Danish painters who helped define the nation’s visual identity in the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum is especially renowned for its deep holdings of Danish art, including luminous interiors and atmospheric cityscapes by artists like Vilhelm Hammershøi. This is also where you sense the former royal collection behind the institution: portraits, altarpieces and large-scale historical paintings reveal how art was once used to communicate power, piety and prestige. Labels and wall texts tend to be concise but informative, making it easy to follow shifts in style, technique and subject matter even if you are not an art historian.

Modern visions and a world-class Matisse collection

A striking strength of SMK is its modern and contemporary collection, housed mainly in the museum’s newer wing. Here you encounter one of the world’s finest collections of works by Henri Matisse, built on an early 20th-century donation of French modern art that now forms a cornerstone of the gallery. Paintings by Matisse, Picasso, Braque and others are presented in airy rooms that allow their colours and compositions to breathe. Elsewhere, Scandinavian and international modernists share space with experimental contemporary pieces, from conceptual installations to video works and performance-related art. The juxtaposition of older and newer works encourages you to trace recurring themes—landscape, the human figure, abstraction—across centuries. It is a part of the museum that rewards curiosity and slow looking, even if avant‑garde art is not usually your main interest.

Architecture bridging past and present

Architecturally, SMK is a study in contrasts that somehow feel harmonious. The original late 19th‑century building, clad in stone with an Italian Renaissance revival façade, was designed to project seriousness and stability. To the rear, a glass-and-steel extension from the 1990s introduces a crisp contemporary language, opening the museum towards the park with large windows and generous terraces. Connecting old and new is an internal "street of sculptures"—a long, light-filled passage that doubles as a gallery and social space. Here, classical and modern sculptures share the stage with views out to the greenery of Østre Anlæg. It is one of the best places in the building to pause, people‑watch, and get a sense of how the museum weaves art into everyday urban life.

Experiencing SMK: atmosphere, amenities and practical comforts

For visitors, SMK is designed to be as functional as it is inspiring. The museum is fully accessible, with lifts, step-free routes and wheelchair-friendly galleries. Benches and seating areas are scattered throughout the exhibitions, making it easy to take breaks. In the foyer, you will find information desks and a shop with art books, prints and design objects that extend the experience beyond the galleries. On the ground floor, the museum café looks out towards Østre Anlæg and its old magnolia trees, offering breakfast, lunch, coffee, wine and snacks in a relaxed setting. The combination of park views, natural light and the hum of conversation makes it an inviting stop whether you are midway through your visit or simply dropping in for a quiet moment. With full-day opening on most days and late hours midweek, SMK fits comfortably into a city itinerary, but it also rewards dedicating several unhurried hours to explore its collections in depth.

Events, learning and the living museum

Beyond static displays, SMK positions itself as a living museum with a strong focus on learning and cultural exchange. Regular guided tours, lectures, concerts and performance events activate the spaces in new ways, while workshops and family activities introduce younger visitors to art through making and play. The museum also serves as an official tourist information point, with multilingual staff able to answer questions about both the gallery and Copenhagen more broadly. Even outside exhibition halls, the building’s relationship with the surrounding park encourages you to move between art and nature. Stepping out after viewing centuries of paintings, you emerge into lawns, trees and lakes that have inspired many of the Danish landscapes hanging inside. In this way SMK functions not only as a repository of national heritage, but as a hinge between the cultural and the everyday life of the city.