A beautifully intimate museum of Danish painting — from the Golden Age to Hammershøi, Krøyer and the Skagen painters.
- Vilhelm Hammershøi
- Women artists in Danish modernity
- The Skagen painters
- The Funen painters
- Symbolism and the Modern Breakthrough
Pair it with SMK and Østre Anlæg rather than visiting it in isolation. The contrast between a compact private collection and Denmark’s national gallery works beautifully.
Highly recommended — especially if you want to understand Danish painting, not just tick off Copenhagen’s biggest museums.
Nearby route ideas
Danish art essentials
The Hirschsprung Collection → SMK → Østre Anlæg
The strongest route for understanding Danish art history in a compact area.
Golden Age + modern Denmark
Hirschsprung → SMK → Designmuseum Danmark
A broader route connecting painting, national identity and Danish design.
Hammershøi route
Hirschsprung → SMK → Davids Samling
Ideal for travellers interested in quiet interiors, collecting and Danish visual culture.
Slow Artlovers route
Hirschsprung in the morning → walk through Østre Anlæg → lunch → SMK in the afternoon.
About the venue
About
The Hirschsprung Collection in Copenhagen is an intimate museum of Danish art covering more than 100 years, from the Danish Golden Age through the Skagen painters and into the beginnings of modernism. Founded by collector Heinrich Hirschsprung and his wife Pauline, the museum opened to the public in 1911 and today presents major works by artists including C.W. Eckersberg, Christen Købke, P.S. Krøyer, Anna Ancher and Vilhelm Hammershøi. Located beside Østre Anlæg in central Copenhagen, it offers a focused alternative to larger institutions such as SMK. Its current 2026 programme includes The Modern Breakthrough: Masterpieces from the Museum’s Collection and the upcoming exhibition The Funen Painters. Art Above All!.
For art travellers, the museum is especially rewarding for understanding the evolution of Danish painting in a compact, elegant setting.
Worth the trip
Because this is one of Copenhagen’s best places to understand Danish painting across the 19th and early 20th centuries, without the scale or fatigue of a giant national museum. The collection moves from the Danish Golden Age to the Skagen painters and the beginnings of modernism.
© Colección Hirschsprung
