The Architecture
Museum Ordrupgaard consists of four iconic buildings, each designed by a different renowned architect. Spanning a period of over 100 years the buildings have been home to the art collectors Henny and Wilhelm Hansen, the architect Finn Juhl and hundreds of temporary exhibitions.
The story of the architecture at Museum Ordrupgaard is a story of dreamers, innovators and contrasts. Set in green surroundings, you will see buildings that are both light and dark. Buildings above ground and below ground. Buildings that are both homes to art and works of art in their own right.
Together they provide a unique holistic architectural experience, transcending styles and entering into dialogue with the art and the surrounding environment.
Gotfred Tvede’s mansion, Ordrupgaard, 1916–18
The main building at Museum Ordrupgaard was designed by Gotfred Tvede (1863–1947) and was originally intended to be a summer residence for the museum’s founders, Henny and Wilhelm Hansen. However, the couple fell head over heels for both the neoclassical building, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, and the breathtaking green surroundings.
Consequently, they decided later, during construction, to move both their home and their growing art collection permanently to the stately home situated between the deer park Jægersborg Dyrehave and Ellemosen park. They surrounded themselves with furniture by designers like Thorvald Bindesbøll (1846–1908) and Johan Rhode (1856–1935) and a magnificent park laid out by the municipal gardener Valdemar Fabricius. Here, ahead of their time, they carved out a life for themselves dedicated to beauty, art and culture, whilst growing their own supply of fresh fruit and vegetables in the large greenhouses on the estate. Together they managed the collection of art and craftwork, Henny also tending to their collection of rare flora in the park.
Today the manor house is home to the Danish collection, where you can also see the rooms as they were during the founders’ lifetime.
Foto: Adam Mørk
Finn Juhl’s House, 1941-42
The furniture designer Finn Juhl (1912–1989) designed and furnished his house when he was only thirty years old. Completed in 1942 the house is the best-preserved functionalist single-family home in Denmark. Today Finn Juhl’s house forms an integral part of Museum Ordrupgaard and offers visitors to the museum a unique opportunity to experience Danish design history and an exceptional collection of modernist art in a domestic setting.
Zaha Hadid’s building, 2005
At Museum Ordrupgaard you will find the only building in Northern Europe designed by the pioneering and uncompromising British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016). Cast in lava concrete, the building’s organic design challenges our perception of what a building is and can do.
Throughout the building you will find unexpected inclines, broken lines and materials that Hadid has pushed to their limits. Like a three-dimensional sculpture the building nestles within the gentle curves of the Art Park, as a foreign yet appealing element. Zaha Hadid’s building is home to our international temporary exhibitions, shop and café.
Snøhetta’s building, 2021
As you approach Museum Ordrupgaard the roof structure of Snøhetta’s building glistens and refracts the light like an impressionist painting. Underground you will find the treasury that houses Wilhelm and Henny Hansen’s world-famous French collection, designed by the award-winning Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta. The building has been carefully integrated with its surroundings and contains 1,750 m² of exhibition space distinguished by a warm, inviting atmosphere in oak, which draws the viewer’s senses towards a hand-carved jewellery box where the collection’s international jewels are allowed to sparkle.