Something to Declare

The Louisiana (not the New Orleans one)

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Getting the hang of the excellent, clean, fast and efficient transportation system: Today we took the C5 bus to the Central Station and took the Tog (commuter train) to Humlebæk, north of Copenhagen proper, to the home of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

The original estate was built in 1855 by Alexander Brun, who was a nobleman and Master of the Royal Hunt. He named the property “Louisiana” because he had had three wives, all named Louise (makes sense to me!). The guy who later converted the estate into a museum, Knud W. Jensen, decided to keep the name “Louisiana”.  For some reason the relevant internet website was careful to point out that the name has no connection to the U.S. State of Louisiana. (Glad they clarified that!)

From the Humlebæk train station…

…it’s a 1.5-mile walk to the Museum. The long gaggle of people walking from the station looks like a sort of informal pilgrimage.

The interior of the museum contains many paintings, all of which date from 1945 and later.

The painting above, lower right, was by a German, Daniel Richler, in 2003. It’s entitled “Studie zu Das erstaunliche Comeback des Dr. Freud” (“Study of the Astonishing Comeback of Dr. Freud”), where Freud is portrayed mostly nude, from the rear, looking backward, wearing a turban and high heels. (Well, okay then!)

There is regular turnover of the artworks, except for one sculpture (“The Thumb”) which was made permanent on popular demand (below, right):

As you may know, our tastes tend toward the late 19th and early 20th century French impressionists and Austro-German expressionists. So for us, the big draws were not the paintings, but rather the exquisite grounds of the estate, dotted with sculptures, like the Calder shown below.

There were also sculptures by Miró, and Henry Moore…

…and some Danish artists (pussy cats holding their hands to their ears?):

My favorite one looked like a display of the planets of a solar system.

Back in Copenhagen, we took a stroll in the well-touristed Strøget shopping street, and the Radshuspladsen, a plaza named for the Radshus (Copenhagen’s City Hall):

Tomorrow is our last day in Copenhagen, and we’re going to make the most of it: The Danish Design Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Library), and Nyhavn (a 17th century waterfront neighborhood).