Image: Thorvaldsen Museum, Copenhagen
Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen will open ‘Liv, Længsel & Landskab – Thorvaldsens Malerisamling’ on 9 September 2026. Installed across nine newly renovated rooms, the exhibition presents a selection from Bertel Thorvaldsen’s private collection of more than 350 paintings.
All of the collection’s paintings were included in the museum’s first public presentation when it opened in 1848. Several works will be shown for the first time in many years after being held in the museum’s storage, including paintings by Dietrich Wilhelm Lindau, Károly Markó the Elder and Albert Küchler. The exhibition also includes works by C.W. Eckersberg, Constantin Hansen and Wilhelm Marstrand.
The presentation is organised around themes including festive popular life, primarily depicted in Italy; romantic stagings of ruins from antiquity; and dramatic landscapes and depictions of nature. Works on view include J. C. Dahl’s 1821 ‘Norsk Fjelddal’ and C. W. Eckersberg’s 1813 ‘En sovende kvinde i antik dragt, Alkyones amme’.
An opening event on 9 September, from 4pm to 7pm, will include a speech, wine and performances of ‘SPEKTRUM’ at 4.30pm and 5.30pm. The exhibition is supported by Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond.
