Scan Magazine, Issue 112, May 2018

Page 50

Scan Magazine  |  Special Theme  |  Nordic Culture – Denmark

Left: The David Collection’s collection of European 18th century art is presented in the original setting of the collection’s founder C. L. David’s 19th century bourgeois Copenhagen home. Right: The Dervish from Faryab Crosses the River on His Rug. Miniature from a copy of Sadi’s Bustan (The Flower Garden). Iran, Isfahan; c. 1600-1608.

Islamic art in the heart of Copenhagen Located in a beautiful old townhouse in the heart of Copenhagen, the David Collection exhibits one of the ten largest collections of Islamic art in the western world. The museum also presents a collection of works by Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi and, this summer, a special exhibition with photos from the Islamic world by the Danish photographer Torben Huss. By Signe Hansen  |  Photos: Pernille Klemp

Founded in 1945 by the Danish lawyer C. L. David, the David Collection is not an ordinary art museum. The collection is exhibited within its founder’s old townhouse in Kronprinsessegade and gives visitors a broad range of different and unexpected experiences. “The Islamic collection has a range and scope that is not matched in many places in the west; it’s on a level with that of institutions such as the Metropolitan, Victoria & Albert, and the British Museum,” curator Joachim Meyer explains, adding: “For visitors from abroad, it’s also a chance to experience what a Danish home looked like in the 19th century, and that, together with the collection of Danish art, is something many appreciate.” When C. L. David died in 1960, he left his entire art collection and home to 50  |  Issue 112  |  May 2018

the C. L. David Foundation and Collection, which runs the museum today. The Islamic collection has since been expanded considerably and it is today the largest collection of Islamic art in Scandinavia, including a wide range of characteristic calligraphies, ceramics, textiles and miniature paintings from all eras and corners of the Islamic world. Besides this, the museum also presents regular photo exhibitions exploring the Islamic world. “The photo shows are part of our regular programme, and we use them to illustrate and continue the story of the Islamic world of art into our time,” explains Meyer. This summer, the Danish photographer Torben Huss’ Hippie Trail exhibition will be on display. The exhibition portrays the Islamic world and the westerners travelling through it towards

India in search of enlightenment, in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The David Collection also comprises collections of European 18th century art and Danish art from the 19th century’s Golden Age, as well as 12 paintings by the early Danish modernist Vilhelm Hammershøi.

Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916), Open Doors, 1905.

Torben Huss’ Hippie Trail exhibition is on between 8 June and 28 October. Admission to all exhibitions is free.

Web: www.davidmus.dk


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