Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Company type	Art museum
Industry	Museum
Predecessor	Private collection of Carl Jacobsen
Founded	1882
Founder	Carl Jacobsen
Headquarters	Copenhagen, Denmark
Key people	Carl Jacobsen (founder)
Products	Art collections, exhibitions
Website	www.glyptoteket.com

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (with "ny" translating to "new" in Danish and "Glyptotek" originating from the Greek words glyphein meaning to carve and theke meaning storage), commonly referred to as Glyptoteket, is an art museum located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It displays the private art collection amassed by Carl Jacobsen (1842–1914), who was the son of the founder of Carlsberg Breweries.

Primarily dedicated to sculpture, the museum's principal assets consist of ancient sculptures from Mediterranean civilizations including Egypt, Rome, and Greece. Alongside these are modern sculptures, notably an extensive compilation of works by Auguste Rodin, considered the most important collection outside France. Additionally, the museum boasts a distinguished painting collection featuring French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as well as masterpieces from the Danish Golden Age.

The French Collection includes works by artists such as Jacques-Louis David, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, and Cézanne. Post-Impressionist painters like van Gogh, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Bonnard are also represented. The museum holds the entire series of Degas' bronze sculptures, including his famous dancer figures, and prominently features works by Norwegian-Danish sculptor Stephan Sinding.

Original Glyptoteque

Carl Jacobsen was an avid collector who initially concentrated on antiques but later expanded his acquisitions to include significant French and Danish sculptures. In 1882, his private residence was enlarged with a winter garden that quickly became more a display space for sculptures than for plants, and this collection was opened for public viewing. By 1885, the 'house museum' had grown to encompass 19 galleries, designed by Vilhelm Dahlerup and Hack Kampmann to accommodate the increasing number of artworks.

Establishment of New Museum

Despite several expansions, the initial location eventually proved too small. On 8 March 1888, Carl Jacobsen gifted his collection to both the Danish State and Copenhagen City, on condition that a proper exhibition venue be constructed. The chosen site was a ravelin outside Holcks Bastion on Copenhagen's Western Rampart near Tivoli Gardens. Although Jacobsen preferred a location closer to central Copenhagen and was reluctant about proximity to Tivoli, he ultimately agreed to this placement.

Jacobsen named the institution after Ludwig I of Bavaria’s Munich Glyptothek and appointed Vilhelm Dahlerup as architect. The moat surrounding the ravelin was filled in, and the museum opened its doors on 1 May 1897, initially displaying Jacobsen’s modern French and Danish 18th-century artworks.

In January 1899, Jacobsen donated his collection of Antique art, which led to an expansion designed by Hack Kampmann; Dahlerup contributed a connecting winter garden. This extension was inaugurated in 1906.

Subsequent enhancements include a 1996 courtyard infill designed by Henning Larsen and a substantial renovation completed in 2006 under Danish architects Dissing + Weitling and Bonde Ljungar Arkitekter MAA.

Architecture

The building is celebrated for its refined architectural style and harmonious integration with its art collections.

The Dahlerup Wing, representing the oldest part of the museum, is an ornate historicist edifice characterized by a red brick exterior and polished granite columns in Venetian Renaissance style; it houses both the French and Danish collections.

The Kampmann Wing presents a more restrained neoclassical design with galleries arranged around a central auditorium that serves as a venue for lectures, concerts, symposiums, and poetry readings.

These two wings are connected through the Winter Garden which features mosaic flooring, tall palm trees, a fountain, and is topped with a copper-and-wrought-iron dome.

The Henning Larsen Wing is a minimalist structure inserted within a former courtyard space that also provides rooftop access. The Glyptotek occasionally serves as a venue for official ceremonies, such as the 2002 event marking Europe’s certification as polio-free.

Collections

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek's holdings exceed 10,000 individual artworks.

Antique collection

The Antique collection showcases sculptures and artifacts originating from ancient Mediterranean civilizations.

Its vast assortment of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan pieces includes marble statues, terracotta figurines, reliefs, ceramics, and 950 sculptures obtained through the efforts of German archaeologist Wolfgang Helbig.

The Egyptian Collection comprises over 1,900 objects dating from approximately 3000 BCE to the 1st century CE, encompassing periods from Ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom through the Roman Era. Established in 1882 with Carl Jacobsen’s initial purchase—a sarcophagus from Cairo—the collection grew significantly due to early 20th-century excavations financed by the Ny Carlsberg Foundation under the guidance of Egyptologist W. M. F. Petrie. Among its highlights are several mummies exhibited within a crypt-style gallery.

Covering a timespan of around 7,150 years (6500 BCE to 650 CE), the Near Eastern Collection represents cultures such as those from the Levant, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Persia.

French Collection

Dedicated to 19th-century French painting and sculpture, the French Collection features works by artists including David, Manet, Monet, Cézanne, and Bonnard. Paul Gauguin stands out as the most prominently represented artist with more than 40 pieces. Additionally, the museum houses one of the globe’s most significant Rodin collections alongside a complete array of Degas’ bronze sculptures.

Danish Collection

This collection encompasses an extensive range of Danish Golden Age paintings by artists such as Eckersberg, Købke, and Lundbye, as well as Denmark’s largest assembly of Golden Age sculptures.

European Collection

Encompassing works from the 18th through the 20th centuries, the European Collection includes Neoclassical sculptors like Canova, Sergel, Carstens, Flaxman, Rauch, and Baily. It also features Modernist figures such as Meunier, Klinger, Picasso, and Giacometti. Select Modern paintings by Arp, Ernst, Miró, Poliakoff, and Gilioli are also part of this collection.

Concerts

Primarily used for classical music performances, the Auditorium is renowned for hosting the Helge Jacobsen concert series. This series has showcased distinguished musicians including the Austrian Hagen Quartet, Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova, French pianist Cédric Tiberghien, Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus, French Ysaÿe Quartet, and German tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

Celebrated for its superior acoustics in both the main hall and adjoining rooms, the venue serves as a rehearsal and performance space for ensembles such as the Early music vocal group Musica Ficta. In 1997, pioneer overtone singer David Hykes performed here. Occasionally, genres beyond classical music are featured; for example, Danish klezmer band Mames Babegenush has appeared at the Auditorium.

Other cultural events

Besides concerts, the Auditorium hosts a variety of cultural activities including poetry readings, lectures, and panel discussions.

In popular culture

The museum has been featured in several films such as Stjerneskud (1947), Fodboldpræsten (1951), Dorte (1951), Mød mig på Cassiopeia (1951), Bruden fra Dragstrup (1955), and Den kære familie (1962).

Its architectural design served as inspiration for the Valkyries' Rock set in Kasper Holten’s 2006 staging of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Copenhagen Opera House.

External links

Official Museum Website
Architectural Renderings hosted by the Danish National Art Library
Explore the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek through a Google Arts & Culture virtual experience