Humlebæk, Denmark
If you had no prior knowledge of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, you might assume it was in New Orleans or Baton Rouge, or maybe somewhere in France. It seemed very odd that the Louisiana Art Museum is located in a small town in Denmark. However, the founder of the museum, Knud W. Jensen, took over the manor house where the museum is located. The noble who previously owned the manor, Alexander Brunswick, married three different women named Louise, hence the lasting name. Knud Jensen, however, built an art museum that encouraged art not just for the elite but for the many. Its accessibility has made the Louisiana Museum of Art a world-famous venue for modern art.
We arrived in Humlebæk early evening and walked the 20 minutes from the train station to the museum. There is a bus stop about a five-minute walk from the train station, but it runs every 30 minutes, so we walked through the small town to the museum. The walk was peaceful, and we arrived at the museum at around 7:45. The Louisiana Museum of Art is open late, until 10:00 PM most nights, so a trip to the museum is an excellent pairing with other sites in Denmark. When we made our trip, we had already visited Frederiksborg, Kronborg, the Kärnan, and St. Mary’s on the same day, so we were grateful for the late hours of operation that made our whirlwind itinerary possible. The museum is included with the Official Copenhagen Card, but a separate trip in 2026 would cost 145 DKK for adults and 130 DKK for Students. The museum was free to all kids under 18. Parking is available if you are driving
Artwork at the Louisiana Museum of Art rotates fairly often. The only pieces that seem to have a permanent location are the lawn sculptures. Arguably the most famous piece at the museum is French artist César Baldaccini’s ‘Le Grand Pouce,’ or in English ‘The Big Thumb.’ Rick Steves explained in his entry on the Louisiana Art Museum that the 6-foot-tall thumb is not going anywhere because anytime it is moved, patrons complain.
There is no set pattern for visiting the museum, but it is well worth the effort to see how well it fits into its natural surroundings. The sculptures overlooking the Øresund are among the most striking backdrops for artwork at a museum on the planet. As part of the Official Copenhagen Card, a trip to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a great way to spend an evening in Denmark’s capital region. Knud Jensen wanted artwork to be appreciated for what it is, not necessarily to go and see famous pieces or to worry about comprehending the interpretation.
