Sophienholm Kunsthal

About the museum

The country house Sophienholm was built from 1768 for Postmaster General Theodor Holm (later Holmskiold), who had it erected on a plot belonging to the Frederiksdal estate on the shore of Bagsværd Sø and named it after his wife Sophie. In 1790 the wholesale merchant Constantin Brun acquired the property. Between 1800 and 1805 he had the house and garden remodeled by the French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée: the main building received additional stories and a sheet-metal roof, stables and outbuildings were added, and the garden became a romantic landscape park.

Sophienholm became famous through Friederike Brun, the lady of the house. The writer gathered poets, composers, painters and scholars of the Danish Golden Age here in her summer salons, above all between 1810 and 1816, including Oehlenschläger, Baggesen, Heiberg, Weyse, Eckersberg and H. C. Ørsted.

In 1883 the publishing couple Carl and Laura Aller, founders of the magazine "Illustreret Familie Journal", bought the property, which served for generations as the family's summer residence. In 1963 the heirs sold the by-then dilapidated, listed house to Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality. After a comprehensive restoration, Sophienholm opened in May 1967 as a public cultural venue with an exhibition on Golden Age art, and the park was opened to everyone.

Today the art hall presents changing exhibitions in the former living rooms, mostly of Danish contemporary art, often thematically related to the history of the place. The salon tradition lives on in lectures, discussion evenings and concerts. The park has permanent sculptures by Danish artists, and the old stable building contains a ceiling painting by the CoBrA group.

Highlights

• Changing exhibitions of Danish contemporary art in the neoclassical country house
• Romantic park on Bagsværd Sø with permanently installed sculptures
• Ceiling painting by Asger Jorn and fellow artists from 1949 in the CoBrA room
• Site of Friederike Brun's summer salons in the Golden Age
• Café with lake view and paper theater performances during school holidays

Permanent exhibitions

• Skulpturen im Park – In the romantic landscape park stand permanent works by Danish sculptors and artists, such as Ib Spang Olsen, Hein Heinsen, Hanne Varming, Leif Sylvester and Ingvar Cronhammar.
• CoBrA-loftet – In the former stable building you can see a ceiling painted jointly in 1949 by Asger Jorn and fellow artists, best viewed lying down.

Founded

1967

Operated by

Lyngby-Taarbæk Kommune

Director

Barbara Læssøe Stephensen

Admission & discounts

Tickets are available at the cash desk in the museum shop. Admission covers the art hall; the park and café are freely accessible.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

An elevator is reached via the café entrance under the stairs on the garden side; it leads to the ground floor with cash desk and shop and to the exhibition rooms on the second floor. On the second floor there is no passage between the art hall and the café, and the upper level of the café can only be reached by stairs. Wheelchair access to the café through the door to the right of the art hall entrance. Two accessible restrooms (at the café entrance on the garden side and in the restroom building in the courtyard). Two steps lead to the CoBrA room; a wheelchair has to be lifted up.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Children and young people under 18 have free admission. During school holidays there are paper theater performances for children and adults (children's ticket DKK 25); children under 10 should be accompanied. In the park with sculptures, grottos and hiding places, children may climb on some sculptures. In the attic of the stable building, the municipality's Billedskole (art school) teaches children aged 6 to 14.

Getting there & parking

Reachable on foot via a walking path along Lyngby Sø through Åmosen.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Sophienholm Café with lake view and terrace, Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00, Thursdays until 20:00; kitchen with lunch menu and dinner on Thursdays. Picnicking outdoors or in the shelter is possible, public restrooms in the courtyard.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Celebrations such as weddings, birthdays, memorial gatherings and corporate events are catered by Sophienholm Café (contact +45 45 88 40 05, info@sophienholmcafe.dk); package offers from 20 people. Photo and film shoots on the grounds only by prior arrangement with the art hall.

Plan your visit