National Gallery of Denmark (SMK)

National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) is the Danish national gallery located in the centre of Copenhagen; the museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and handles Danish and foreign art dating from the 14th century to the present day.

The museum’s collections constitute almost 9,000 paintings and sculptures, approximately 240,000 works of art on paper as well as more than 2,600 plaster casts of figures from ancient times, the middle-ages and the Renaissance. The major part of the museum’s older collections comes from the art chambers of Danish kings.

The original museum building was designed by Vilhelm Dahlerup and G.E.W. Møller and built 1889–1896 in a Historicist Italian Renaissance revival style.

Towards the back of the museum is a large modern extension designed by the architects Anna Maria Indrio and Mads Møller from Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller. The extension was erected in 1998 to house the extensive modern art collection. The two buildings are connected by a glass panelled ‘Street of Sculptures’ walkway and theatre which stretches the entire length of the museum and looks out onto the Østre Anlæg park. Talks, concerts and installations are all held in this area.