Denmark’s oldest modern art museum.
Photograph: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art FB Page
Text: Mariano Anthony Davies
Louisiana's founder, Knud W. Jensen, wanted to create a museum where Danes could see modern art, which had no special place in Danish museums until then. The museum opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1958.
From the beginning, the founder, Knud W. Jensen, intended for the museum to be a home for modern Danish art. But after only a few years, he changed course, and instead of being a predominantly Danish collection, Louisiana became an international museum with many internationally renowned works.
Louisiana’s close contact and collaboration with the international arts and cultural milieu has since been one of the museum’s greatest strengths. It is also one of the main reasons that it has been possible for Louisiana to present an exhibition programme that has resonated so strongly with the public over the years. Louisiana has thus achieved a standing as one of the world’s most respected exhibition venues. In the future, it will be able to attract exhibitions and artists at a level that few other museums (either in Denmark or abroad) can match.
Knud W. Jensen’s Vision
In 1955, Knud W. Jensen bought a 100-year-old white villa called Louisiana. At the time, he was a businessman and cheese wholesaler, but he dreamt of creating a museum for modern Danish art. He was eager to get art out to the people, so in 1955, he co-founded the Art at the Workplace Association, which lent artworks to workplaces to make art a part of people’s everyday lives. The purpose of the new museum was to share art with others. It was also based on a desire to make a break from the sense of alienation that Jensen thought characterised the large museums of the period, with the National Gallery of Art as the primary Danish example. Instead of monumental buildings, he wanted buildings on a human scale and close to nature. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art evolved and opened three years later, in 1958.
Louisiana was intended to be a lively sanctuary for ordinary people, far from the city. The objective was to create a new way of visiting a museum. Art, architecture and nature would provide the framework, and music, film, dance, poetry readings and political debates would also take place at the museum. Louisiana had its own café, which was unusual in the 1950s. Critics argued that the café, concerts and other entertainment would remove the focus from art. Still, Jensen was keen to make Louisiana an excursion venue where art is part of the experience but not the entire experience. It was possible to create a place that went so much against the tide because an individual with his own resources financed and thus managed the museum. For many years, Jensen’s personal desires and ideas determined Louisiana’s development, even though the museum also had a Board of Directors.
Why is it called Louisiana?
Many people wonder about the name of the museum. The short explanation is that the house was built by a nobleman for his three wives, who were all named Louise. Knud W. Jensen chose to “take over” the name of the country house that he later converted into a museum. The property had been built and named in 1855 by Alexander Brun (1814-93), who was an officer and Master of the Royal Hunt. Here in Louisiana, he was a pioneer in beekeeping and the cultivation of fruit trees.
From the beginning, Knud W. Jensen’s vision was to create a museum with soul, where the public could encounter artwork—not as something pretentious but rather something that spoke directly to the viewer. He emphasised the need for “supplementary content” that could help bring alive and enrich the environment.
The spirit of the place
Louisiana Museum was built in several stages and has been expanded many times over the years. But the starting point was a place where something already stood. The villa with a park full of distinctive trees was built for the first owner, Alexander Brun. It has been important throughout the museum’s history to maintain the “spirit of the place” (also called “genius loci”) that Knud W. Jensen thought he found there when he discovered the location. Jensen engaged two architects, Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert, to build extensions to Louisiana, and together, they went around the large grounds for months to find the best places, the most interesting trees and the finest views.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a self-governing institution. As a private state-recognised museum, it is subject to Danish museum legislation. The museum receives about 15% of its operating support from the public sector; the rest is financed through self-earnings and sponsors.