Day 3: More Copenhagen: Exploring on Foot

October 10, 2018 by

Copenhagen Wednesday September 26, 2018 9:35 PM

The shuttle bus dropped us across the street from Magison du Nord, a multi-story used-to-be-fancy hotel, now a fancy department store. We made the mistake of walking through the first floor, only to discover a huge sale was taking place, and the masses were buying everything. Of course, there was nothing we either one, wanted, or two, could happily afford, so we made a quick exit out the back door and began to amble along the cobblestone streets. Immediately we got turned around and lost.

But such pretty sights we saw. A fountain with birds. Little courtyards in yellow. Fancy decorated sidewalks.

Earlier we’d found directions to the National Gallery of Denmark and Google maps kept telling us we were only a mile away. 15 minutes. Ha ha. We would walk four blocks and the Google would claim the same thing — one mile and 15 minutes. By the time we got un-turned around and heading in the correct direction, we spent nearly an hour getting to the front door. It didn’t help we kept losing the cell signal and losing our directions! Reminder to self: I need to download maps!

It started raining–again. I’m glad I had my hat and gloves as the evening air got chilly fast. Still, we had a great time, even lost and cold and wet, strolling (more like blustering) through King’s Garden and gawking at the Rosenborg Castle. And my feet hurt, yes, I now have three blisters. I should’ve worn my colder season shoes more in the weeks before leaving, espaecially after a summer of sandals, but I was so intent on preparing emotionally for this journey, I didn’t quite get around to preparing physically. It’s a good thing there is so much new and unusual to see. It helps me stay focused on what’s important. (hint: not my feet or the weather)

So much new and interesting to see. Once we finally got cell service which let us consult Google Maps again, we found our way through a magical place — King’s Garden — with castles and tree-lined walks and an assortment of statues and fountains and other pretty things.

And yes, we finally found our way to the Art Museum and what a worthwhile conclusion to our weary trek.

SMK (Statens Museum for Kunst) is the National Gallery of Denmark. It is the largest art museum in Denmark and home to the nation’s most extensive and important collection of art, covering 700 years.

The showcase exhibit was Take My Breathe Away by Danh Vo. From the SMK website:

“Migration, cultural history and identity are key themes addressed in SMK’s new special exhibition Danh Vo: Take My Breath Away. Danish-Vietnamese Danh Vo ranks among Denmark’s pre-eminent internationally acclaimed living artists – as reflected in this exhibition, which comes to SMK directly from the Guggenheim in New York.”

Stunning work by Vo. Letters from Kissinger era, cultural artifacts, Viet Nam war ephemera — all combined to speak loudly of home and loss and migration as expressed through an artist’s lens.

The architecture of the gallery was exquisite. I particularly liked how the old was joined to the new; second-floor walkways cantilevered above the first-floor sculpture garden.

The original wing included Danish and Nordic art:

The new wing was filled with modern and contemporary offerings:

I loved the exhibit titled 80 Collages for Field Book by Per Kirkeby:

Kirkeby was originally trained as a geologist, so was well familiar with the concept of a field book.  His many subjects included architecture, trees, art techniques, and maps. From 2009- 2012

Walking back to the shuttle bus stop, we once again passed through Kings Garden and stopped to admire the Rosenborg Castle and its surrounding gardens from afar. There was even a moat.

And then back on the shuttle bus and on to the Viking Sky and a late dinner. Almost too exhausted to enjoy the food. Almost, not quite.

Map added for clarification: the lower red dot is where the shuttle bus dropped us off. The yellow line is what we walked on our way to the upper red dot — which is the location of the SMK or National Gallery of Denmark. The little red dot in the lower middle is where we had a welcome warming cappuccino on our way back to the bus.

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Day 2: Copenhagen, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Part II

October 10, 2018 by

Copenhagen Tuesday, September 25, 2018, 6:50 PM

First of all, I need to say I really love the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I could have spent days there instead of only hours. After we explored the sculpture garden and snacked at the restaurant, we toured the indoor exhibitions. By now it’s 1 PM p.m. Copenhagen time, and we’ve been in Denmark for exactly 24 hours. I’ve never experienced this sort of jet lag–seven time zones away from home–and I feel a little disoriented. Plus my feet hurt. Damn, that’s my fault but I refuse to let it stop me.

The first wing we explored was all Giacometti. In the Giacometti Gallery, of course. I’ve loved Giacometti since seeing his work at the Chicago Art Institute when I was a University student, so I was thrilled to see a room filled with his art. And the gallery itself was inspiring–-not dark and artificially lit, but filled with natural lighting from an entire glass wall, the green of the garden from the outside filtering the light.

Giacometti Gallery at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Giacometti Gallery at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Giacometti Gallery at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Giacometti Gallery at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Me in Conversation with César Frankrig’s The Big Thumb © 2018 Bo Mackison

There was a thumb. I had a heart to heart conversation with it. My brain was more than a little foggy, so it seemed appropriate to talk to a thumb. It is César Frankrig’s The Big Thumb, 1968, France, Bronze. I had to look it up because I did a lot of forgetting to photograph signage. Usually, I’m good that sort of thing…

Then we went into the special exhibition, The Moon. Over 200 pieces of art–-various media, various styles, various time periods. Stunning.

There’s a full moon tonight. That seems fitting. On our journey through Scandinavia, Germany, and finally Amsterdam, we’ll be traveling in lunar time from full moon to (almost) new moon, through the phase of waning.

It’s the Harvest Moon tonight, not the Corn Moon because tonight’s moon is the nearest full moon to the Autumn Equinox.

From the Louisiana website:

“Along with the MOON exhibition a new work has landed in the Sculpture Park. Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade’s Pars Pro Toto consists of eight spheres carved in rocks obtained from different parts of the world. In her interview with Louisiana Channel, the artist states that the work almost appears as if a God had thrown the planets like when playing marbles.”

After the moon exhibit, we went outside for one last look around. I set down on the bench next to this sphere exhibit and watched the spheres do nothing. I was pretty happy doing nothing too, just sitting surrounded by nature and architecture and art, but there was no other option but to walk to the train station and get on a train heading back to Copenhagen Central.

Here’s where the story got interesting: We’re near exhaustion when we negotiated the mile to the train stop. We needed to buy tickets at the kiosk, but there was a small child pressing all sorts of buttons in his attempt to purchase his family’s tickets. His smiling parents watched, but he was not getting the job done with any punctuality. And then the train was coming. It pulled into the stop and we still had not gotten to the ticket kiosk and Bob said, “I’m not waiting.” And so we got on the train without a ticket, intending to buy the tickets once we got to Central Station. This seemed like an okay plan since no one had been checking our tickets on our earlier rides — when we HAD tickets in hand — but of course this time the conductor stopped and asked us for our tickets.

No tickets.

“You can’t buy tickets on the train,” he said, not too kindly. We pleaded American ignorance. He asked for our passports, which we thankfully had on our persons, and then he told us he’d be back, giving us a disgusted final look. The other passengers avoided looking directly at us and I was so tired I rested my head on the tiny table in front of us and fell asleep. The conductor never did come back and we did buy tickets as soon as we got into the station.

Oh, Lord. The second day in Europe and we’ve already run afoul of the law. I guess all’s well that ends well.

We checked out some great restaurants in the area once we returned to our hotel. But in the end we decided on a pizza in the hotel room. That way we could eat while horizontal. And so we did. There was a Domino’s pizza place nearby, uh no; we opted for a local joint near the University of Copenhagen, close enough to get it carry out. Pizza was fine and sleep is much needed.

And just like that, our first full day in Copenhagen is over.

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Day 2: Copenhagen: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Part I

October 10, 2018 by

Louisiana Presents The Moon From Inner Worlds to Outer Space ©2018 Bo Mackison

Copenhagen September 25, 2018 6:50 p.m.

After a successful venture to the south of Copenhagen to visit the ARKEN museum in the morning, we decided to forgo a lunch stop and head north of the city to visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. This involved a train change at Copenhagen Central, but with one successful trip by train in our pocket, we were more confident in our travel abilities. Plus we were still a bit jet lagged, and not always making the best decisions. Lunch first might’ve been a good idea, but we were anxious to see as much as possible.

And so on we went, to a place called Louisiana in Humlebæk on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Louisiana Museum Entrance with Henry Moore Sculpture, Reclining Figure, 1969-1970, Bronze © 2018 Bo Mackison

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is situated on the coast 25 miles north of Copenhagen, with a view of Sweden visible across the Sound. It’s a lovely space with indoor exhibits, a vast sculpture garden, and a restaurant overlooking both Calder and the coast. It is the sort of space that I would visit regularly if I were a local. Filled with vibrancy and art and architecture and nature–what could be a better combination.

Louisiana Museum – Restaurant with Calder and the Coast © 2018 Bo Mackison

A view of the Calder-Terrace. Calder’s Almost Snow Plow 1964/76 is front and center. Little Janey-Waney is off to the side. The weather was mild and the outside seating was jammed with families and students and tourists. We indulged in a blueberry tart for me and the beer for Bob. Good choices all-around.

The Calder Mobile Little Janey-Waney, 1964-76 Overlooking the Sound at Louisiana Museum, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Calder’s Little Janey-Waney was swinging the breeze and, at times, little children were running underneath, their squeals mingling with the whirr of the sculpture’s dance.

Calder’s Reclining Figures No. 5 Henry Moore 1963-64 at Louisiana Museum, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Then we went on a sculpture tour through the extensive gardens. What a delight! Just a few photos from many opportunities.

Max Bill Sculpture at Louisiana Museum’s sculpture Garden, © 2018 Bo Mackison

Sculpture In the Woods, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen © 2018 Bo Mackison

Bob as an Integral Part of the Glass Cube Sculpture, Louisiana Museum © 2018 Bo Mackison

The blueberry tart and accompanying beer revived us enough so we could walk through the inside exhibition halls. I needed to be careful of my step count, as only 24 hours into our travels I’d managed to develop a blister. I blame it on the cobblestones, first, but also on my inability to be as physically prepared for these two weeks on my feet as I had hoped. Nonetheless, art called and I continued on, as that blueberry tart had remarkable reviving properties.

Blueberry Tart for Bo and Beer for Bob ©2018 Bo Mackison

Photos from Indoor Exhibition Halls coming in next post.

 

 

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Day 2: Copenhagen: Visiting the ARKEN Museum of Modern Art

October 9, 2018 by

Copenhagen Central Station is a Beauty © 2018 Bo Mackison

Copenhagen: Tuesday, September 25, 2018 6:50 PM

Back in the hotel after a long day. We forced our way through the fogginess of jet lag because this was our only opportunity to see the art museums. Tomorrow we head to the Viking Sky for the first official day at sea.

We skipped the included Tour of Copenhagen so we could visit both the ARKEN and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Of course, the two museums were on opposite sides of the city which made transportation more complicated.

First, we went to the ARKEN.

It took about 30 minutes by train from Copenhagen Central Station. “Take the S train line E towards Køge to Ishøj Station, then take bus route 128. Then it’s a 5-minute ride that goes directly to the museum.” Ishoj does not sound the way it is spelled when spoken in a Danish accent. The information guide at Copenhagen Central was very kind and wrote it out for us. Once we finally got on the correct train, we found our way without any unexpected happenings.

 

And the SUN was shining!

Bridge to the ARKEN ©2018 Bo Mackison

 

ARKEN is right on the coast, situated on a small island. A few sculptures are on the grounds with more intended in the future.

There’s a sculpture of a small child riding a rocking horse atop a pedestal to the left of the entrance. I had to look up the name. It’s Powerless Structures by Elmgreen & Dragset and gives honor to the heroism of growing up. From ArtDaily.com:

“The sculpture invokes life’s everyday activities and questions the tradition of monuments predicated on military victory or defeat.”

(These artists also did the Prada Marfa in Texas. Middle of nowhere Texas…)

The bridge is dramatically set to take one from nature to culture. It works, too. And combines two of my favorite things–the natural world and art.

 

Entrance to the Van Gogh Exhibit © 2018 Bo Mackison

From the ARKEN website:

“Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) is one of the most famous artists to have walked this earth. Notorious for having cut his ear off. Loved for his moving paintings and letters, which give us intimate insights into his life and thoughts. For Van Gogh life and art were a hard struggle. Yet he was able to create an original artistic idiom that demonstrates his profound belief in the cosmic unity of man and nature. ARKEN’s exhibition shows with 28 paintings and 11 drawings how his depictions of hard-working farm labourers and captivating landscapes in Arles were meant to express the divine in nature and mankind at a time of new departures in society when traditional faith was coming under pressure from modern philosophy and science.”

The Van Gogh exhibit was incredible. A modest crowd allowed plenty of time for study and reading the associated materials.

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh

We were told we’re pronouncing Van Gogh’s name incorrectly. We laughed; the guide laughed, too. Vincent’s surname is not “go” but “goff” — rather like a harsh clearing of the throat. So we were told.

I loved the look of this grouping of lockers, in a puddle of light, some doors open and some locked tight. Do you think it might qualify as modern art?

 

Self Portrait in Cage and Mirror © 2018 Bo Mackison

We were pretty pleased with ourselves, taking buses and trains and more buses to get to the museum. Typical American, I know. I’m making a vow to get friendlier with our available public transportation when I get back home.

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