Play Day in Copenhagen

I got to pick the activities for the first half of the day and Glenda got to pick those for the second half. For my half we went to the Carlsburg Glyptotek, an art museum filled mostly with statuary. The shuttle bus carried us halfway to the Glyptotek, and we walked the 1.7 miles remaining. If you have ever had a Carlsburg beer, I want to thank you. A tiny percentage of the company profits go to support this wonderful sculpture museum begun by Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of Carlsburg Brewery. This museum, founded in 1888, contains one of Europe’s largest collections of ancient Mediterranean art, including Egyptian mummies, as well as Greek and Roman statuary. Additionally, it holds the most extensive collection of French impressionistic art outside of Paris, and the largest collection of the works of Rodin outside of France. As if all that weren’t enough, the building that houses the collection is a just drop-dead-gorgeous piece of neo-classical architecture. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Some of the statuary is powerful, such as that of Rodin. There is an image of Hercules beheading a screaming Medusa. Other pieces are poignant, sensuous, or just simply beautiful. One piece that especially grabbed my attention was a statue titled “The First Funeral” by French sculptor Louis-Ernest Barrias. It depicts Adam and Eve carrying their son Abel to the grave after he was slain by his brother. Another statue shows Eve aft the first couple had fallen from grace. Her face is so compelling, I had to photograph it.

I will include some photos I took with this blog, but you may want to Google Carlsburg Glyptotek to see some lovely professional slide show of the museum.Read more