Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Scandinavian Culture – Denmark
Left: Located by the seaside half an hour north of Copenhagen, Louisiana is undoubtedly one of the north’s most beautiful art museums. Right: Louisiana has expanded significantly since its foundation almost 60 years ago, but thanks to its unique architecture and structure it has maintained its approachability.
An art institution with a Scandinavian heart With its characteristic seaside setting, democratic approach to art and inclusive atmosphere, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is one of the world’s most distinctively Scandinavian cultural institutions. As the museum approaches its 60th anniversary, Scan Magazine talks to Thomas Bendix, head of communications, about the ideas behind the museum’s singular success.
Bendix. “Even though we’re closing in on 60, I think we’ve managed to maintain a certain freshness. There’s something about the place and our fundamental values that is just as attractive now as it was then.”
By Signe Hansen | Photos: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Photo: Ulrik Jantzen
Founded in 1958, Louisiana has undoubtedly had a successful 60 years. The museum holds one of Scandinavia’s largest and most visited collections of modern art and is widely recognised for its innovative special exhibitions of contemporary art and modernist classics. Behind the success is the idea that art should be made accessible for everyone to explore and enjoy. “The museum is based on a distinctively Scandinavian, democratic idea of making art accessible to everyone by placing it in a specific setting and connecting it with nature. Accessibility is the keyword that has been driving us from the very beginning,” explains Bendix. Despite its location half an hour outside Copenhagen, Louisiana is Denmark’s most visited art museum with more 32 | Issue 98 | March 2017
than 600,000 yearly visitors. Many people spend almost a full day at the museum leisurely exploring the beautiful 19th century villa’s many nooks and corners and enjoying the surrounding sculpture park’s peaceful atmosphere and sea views. The museum also includes a highly popular three-storey children’s wing, offering open workshops for children aged four to 16. “The museum has grown significantly since its establishment, but we’ve successfully maintained our founding structure. The architecture, the way the museum is set up, means that when you enter you don’t feel like you’re facing some kind of unapproachable big art behemoth. It’s more like a leisurely exploration of a string of smaller intimate spaces,” says
Current exhibitions at Louisiana include:
Louisiana on Paper – Barnett Newman: 6 Jan-17 Apr The Architect’s Studio – Wang Shu: 9 Feb-30 Apr William Kentridge: 16 Feb-18 Jun
For exhibition dates and more information, please visit: www.louisiana.dk