Do you know those places where you are irresistibly drawn to, like a magnet, when you're nearby? It could be because of what is called "genius loci" in Latin, the spirit of the place. Along the Øresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden, we have two such remarkable places. About 30km north of Copenhagen lies Louisiana, a museum of modern art. The founder and director of this museum, Knud Jensen, may have precisely used the concept of "genius loci" when he discovered the dilapidated and abandoned estate named Louisiana during his search along the Øresund for a new museum site. We also take you to Rungstedlund, located 15km south. It's a quest to explore what brings people and places together.
is situated in the village of Rungsted. This is the house where the famous author Karen Blixen (1885-1962) was born, returned to, and passed away. She, the daughter of an aristocratic family, attended various art academies in Copenhagen, Paris, and Rome. She became world-renowned through the 1985 film adaptation of her book "Out of Africa" starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, which remains one of my favorites. The book on which the film is based dates back to 1937 and reveals the adventurous nature of its author. Within Denmark, she had already been a well-known writer since 1909, especially under her pseudonym Isak Dinesen. Karen Blixen married her cousin Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke in 1914, even though she was in love with his twin brother. Just before the outbreak of World War I, they went together to Kenya to establish a coffee plantation. In 1921, their marriage ended, and she continued the coffee plantation on her own. The coffee plantation didn't thrive, and it eventually went bankrupt. After her beloved Denys Finch Hatton died in 1931, she returned to Denmark. Back to her "genius loci," to Rungstedlund, where her mother still lived. There, she devoted herself to writing.
Both estates are located on the coast of Øresund, north of Copenhagen. People used to escape to these places in the summer to get away from the city. Both have a long history. Rungstedlund was once a traditional Danish farmhouse with buildings on all four sides of the courtyard, the oldest surviving part dating back to 1680. A significant part of the buildings burned down in 1898. There was also an inn where the famous Danish poet Johannes Ewald (1743-1781) once stayed. The room where he stayed several times between 1773-1776 was therefore named "Ewald's Room" by the family. It was the study of Karen Blixen's father. When she returned from Africa in 1931, this room, combined with a bedroom, became her apartment and the place where she eventually passed away in 1962.
Her house is now a museum; it opened in 1991. As you walk through the spaces, you also walk through her life. Everywhere you encounter memories from the life of this remarkable woman. Not only objects related to her writing or souvenirs from Africa. She was a talented artist, and there are several portraits she made during her time in Africa. In the kitchen, there are charming references to one of my favorite books she wrote under her pseudonym in 1958: "Babette’s Feast". The internet references provide an overview of the film that was released in 1987 and won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film the following year, but the book itself is also highly recommended. Now, back to the tour of the building. The old attic from 1771 is still visible and serves as an exhibition space. The museum shop and café are located in the old barn.
The area in front of the buildings is designed as a lawn with borders and offers a view of the Øresund. Considering the size of the Rungstedlund estate, the buildings are modest in scale. The gardens are accessible without visiting the museum, and they are well-utilised. The garden has different atmospheres, with beautiful borders near the café, a pond, and a romantic bridge. As you venture deeper into the property, you'll find a forest-like environment and meadows with cows. The estate is known for its abundant birdlife. After her African adventure, Karen Blixen returned to this house where she had always been happy and resumed her writing. She is buried in the garden under a simple stone with only her name.
Now, let's return to . Louisiana is not just a museum; it's a place where nature, architecture, history, art, and culture converge. It expands your mind, and time seems to stand still there; you won't want to leave. It just feels right. We first visited 20 years ago, returned 10 years later, and again in the summer of 2022. If you're in the area, definitely go and visit it, regardless of the current exhibitions. However, it is much busier now than 20 years ago.
During our third visit, we noticed that we started to look more closely to discover why everything feels so right here. Louisiana was once called a "hidden museum," and we can understand why. It's only now that we truly pay attention to the buildings and seek to understand the development of this complex. In 2017, a book titled "Louisiana Architecture and Landscape" by Michael Sheridan was published, shedding light on the history and evolution of this museum in this location. Through conversations with the architect, correspondence between the client and architects, and archival research, much material was uncovered that had not been previously shown or shared. Not everyone will purchase this book and delve into its 370 pages, but for enthusiasts, it is interesting to read before visiting Louisiana.
Where better to start than by going back to the 'genius loci'? What made this place special? This green environment where Louisiana stands has been shaped by humans for centuries. As a result of wars - between the mid-17th and early 18th centuries with the Swedes and the British - the landscape near the town of Humlebæck was fortified. After the threat diminished, the land was taken over by forester and former soldier Alexander Brun (1814-1893). He established the estate of Louisiana. Humlebæck was a small fishing village at the end of the stream between the elevated land and the Øresund (bæck=stream). Øresund is the strait between Denmark and Sweden, providing access to the Baltic Sea. In 1810, King Frederik VI ordered the construction of a harbour in Humlebæck. A German lieutenant colonel, who was also an engineer, designed a commercial harbour for fishing boats with a narrow channel leading to an inner basin on both sides of the stream. The basins could accommodate 100 gunboats. The king purchased the land from his grandfather, Constantin Brun, a prosperous merchant who had amassed wealth through trade and Denmark's neutral position during the wars. The basin eventually became Humlebæck Lake. The excavated earth was placed on the south side, creating a rampart. By the time the harbour was nearly complete in 1814, the war was over. What remained was a lake and a harbour. Ultimately, it was the grandson of the former owner, the aforementioned Alexander Brun, who would cultivate and restore the land. He named the estate after his wife, Louisiana. His first marriage was to Sophie Louise Alice Tutein (1989-1899), which lasted only twenty-five days. His second wife was Louise Penelope Webb (1830-1855), and they were married at the time he and his father attempted to repurchase the land from the king. That marriage ended when Louise died in childbirth, pregnant with their first daughter. In 1858, he married for the third time to Louise Wolff (1835-1926), and they had four children.
In 1861, Alexander Brun succeeded in acquiring the estate with his father. A part of the area was sold in 1868 to the Danish People's Church, which established a small church and a cemetery, just in time to bury father Carl Brun there. His son transformed the modest house into a villa, modeled after his father's house in Kraagerup. He added a second floor with a gently sloping slate roof and a balcony overlooking the sea. As an avid botanist, he also took on the garden and transformed it into a park in the prevailing English style. He filled the garden with exotic trees, and from 1900, it became a tourist attraction. The old beech tree with nine trunks that you can still see today is his creation. Alexander Brun specialized in beekeeping and pear tree cultivation. Louise Brun passed away in 1926 but had already sold Louisiana to Wilhelm Smith Dahl, a seller of plumbing supplies, in 1909. He used Louisiana as a summer house and made alterations to the house. He passed away in 1917, and his wife remarried. After her death in 1927, her husband Peter Johannes Busky-Neergaard continued to live in this house until his death in 1954. In his will, he arranged for the house to be sold to the municipality. The municipality had already set its sights on the land for a purification plant and expansion of the cemetery. The idea was to use the mansion as a nursing home. But then Knud Jensen appeared on the scene.
Who was Knud Peter Wadum Jensen (1916-2000)? In the book, he is described as a complex, charismatic cosmopolitan who wanted to share his passion and cultural interests with as many people as possible. As the youngest son of a wealthy father who was the director of a wholesale cheese company (Ost en Gros A/S), he grew up in Copenhagen. The family had broad cultural interests, including paintings, music, and his father's book collection. Summers were spent in the countryside at Strandholm, located on the Øresund between Copenhagen and Humlebæk. Knud Jensen became his father's assistant and helped him build a large collection of books. This laid the foundation for his love of literature and eventually led him to a career as a publisher. He stated that his school years were formative in shaping his development as a museum director. The school teachers organised "Art at School," which exposed him to art both at home and in school. He traveled in Europe and studied art history in Lausanne. After his father's death in 1944, he followed in his footsteps and took over the family business. During the day, he was the director of the company, while in the evenings, he entertained artists and writers. He acquired a majority share in a nearly bankrupt publishing company, which gave him a prominent position in Denmark's cultural life.
During an interview, he was asked about his opinion of the existing Museum of Art in Denmark. His response was, "a horror cabinet with a very 19th-century bourgeois and exaggerated image of self-importance in a corresponding building." He wanted to give art a different place in people's lives. In 1954, he founded a foundation called "Art in the Workplace," inspired by his experiences in school. Through various exhibitions in the public spaces of companies, he brought art to the employees. He believed that there was a greater need for this due to increased mechanization of work and the rise in leisure time. He wanted to stimulate people. This transition from collector to curator laid the foundation for his work at Louisiana. The collection grew to the point where he was actively searching for a place to establish his own museum.
One afternoon in 1954, he walked along the coast of Øresund until he reached the gate of Louisiana. It appeared abandoned, and he climbed over the fence to discover that the building was locked and the garden overgrown. Neglect during the last years of the previous resident's life had taken its toll. The dilapidation struck a romantic chord, and he felt like he was in a fairy tale. Despite the neglect, he saw the quality of the garden and its unusual location on the Øresund coast. That same evening, he studied the possibilities of this place at home and discovered the plans of the municipality. He proposed alternative locations for the purification plant and the nursing home, even purchasing one of those locations himself. He offered to donate a portion of the land for the cemetery since the bridge had already been built. Ultimately, he reached an agreement with the municipality and purchased the estate in 1955. He decided to keep the name "Louisiana" since it already had name recognition as a special garden.
He immediately began sketching his plans and sought the assistance of landscape architect Agnete Petersen. After considering various plans, he decided to use the villa as a retreat for himself and artists. He wanted to transform the old carriage house into a gallery. He contacted an architect, preferably from his own generation, and asked Jørn Utzon, who had gained recognition for his design of his own house in 1952. However, Utzon was busy with his entry for the Sydney Opera House competition (which he eventually won).
He came across Vilhelm Wohlert (1920-2007) through a friend, a young architect who had just renovated the exhibition space for French Art in the Museum of Art. Vilhelm Wohlert met his former colleague Jørgen Bo (1919-1999) while he was working in Berkeley, California. Both architects found inspiration from American architects during their time there, particularly from Jack Hillmer (1918-2007) in San Francisco. They discovered more inspiring houses, for enthusiasts: Ludekens House on Belvedere Island, Schindler-Chace House (1921-1922) - also known as the Kings Road house - by Rudolph Schindler (1887-1957), and the house designed by Richard Neutra (1892-1970) named Case Study House #20, also known as Bailey House from 1948. From that moment, their vision of architecture changed: space became central. A building was a composition of elements, not just a box that contained spaces. Windows were openings between elements, not mere holes in a wall. Roofs became visible horizontal planes. Jørgen Bo immediately translated this into the design of his own house in Copenhagen upon returning. When Knud Jensen asked Vilhelm Wohlert to be the architect for his plan, Vilhelm himself hadn't yet designed larger buildings. He asked Jørgen Bo to join him in the project. To temper expectations, he cautioned Jørgen not to get too excited. It was a manageable project, simply transforming a few stables near a villa, he said. History tells a very different story.(Jan has drawn the complete map of Louisiana. We'll feature it in a few places so you won't have to scroll back far.)
Knud Jensen wanted a radically different type of art museum, an alternative to traditional institutions with conventional ideas about how the public should be treated and how they should behave. Rather than a temple for the muses, he wanted a home for art. The art should be exhibited in a relaxed environment, without pretense. This way, art could become a part of daily life. It had to be informal, allowing people to freely enter and exit the building and garden, with the landscape as an integral part of the experience. We can now observe that the building blends so well with its surroundings that it is almost anonymous, and one is not aware that there is a building there. We could recall the landscape and the exhibitions, but the buildings? That was the reason we took a closer look during our last visit. It's precisely why it's good to revisit a place more often.
In 1956, the architects, who continued to work closely with landscape architect Agnete Petersen, were commissioned to transform the villa and stables into an entrance and a museum. It was a program that suited the collection (approximately 250 pieces) of modern Danish artists and fit within the available budget. Knud Jensen had done well in business; cheese sales had quintupled between 1944 and 1954. He received an offer from Kraft in the US to sell the company and eagerly accepted it. He invested a large portion of the proceeds into the Louisiana Foundation. The money allowed for a much larger project, and he asked the architects to design an exhibition building of 800 square metres. The plans quickly exceeded the budget. A local bank saw no potential in a museum at that location. It was only when a backup plan was made, considering a hotel and restaurant on the site, that the bank agreed to provide a loan. The program of requirements he provided painted a picture of the experience he wanted the visitors to have. The sources of the "genius loci" were: the villa, the lake, and the view of the sea. Additionally, he specified the following. The villa should serve as the entrance and make people feel like they were visiting an eccentric uncle in a rural area. The building should be projected at the end of the embankment, and the exhibition spaces should be oriented towards the lake.
The architects moved into the villa and worked on the design for months, taking the landscape and height differences into account. The so-called '58 building' – referring to the year of construction – connects the new pavilions to the villa through a system of corridors, fitting around existing trees on a 60 x 60cm grid. The corridors are transparent on one or two sides, giving you the feeling of walking through the park. The first pavilion descends from the ground floor to a lower level and offers a view of the lake. It features a sculpture of a walking man by Alberto Giacometti, earning this room the name "Giacometti room." Through the next passage, you enter the second pavilion where light filters in through a roof extension. Combined with the visible structure of large wooden beams spanning the space, these rooms bear little resemblance to the white spaces we are now accustomed to in museums. At the end of this pavilion, you look out onto a basin designed by the architects, where stepping stones across the water – "The First Steps" by Gunnar Westman – continue into the grass and lead to a sculpture by Astrid Noack, "Standing Woman." Through what they call the basin passage, you enter the final pavilion. To signify the end of the route through the rooms, you emerge from a corner into the twisted room of the library, which is more in line with the orientation of the villa. The library overlooks the Øresund. Danish designers were involved in creating the furniture, resulting in a natural coherence throughout. The level of care and detail is so meticulous that everything seems self-evident; it is a Gesamtkunstwerk. This applies to both the interior of the building and its relationship with the outside. Brick by brick, it was meticulously planned, fitting within the grid. Wood was used as a material for the structure, as well as for the ceiling and semi-transparent dividers between spaces. It is remarkable that with such precision, the building was completed in just one year.
The museum attracted far more visitors than expected, and Knud Jensen quickly wanted to expand. He proposed an organic growth with more versatile exhibition spaces. His ideal of an integration of the arts was not yet complete; he aimed for a complete synthesis of culture with everyday life. Louisiana had to be a culturally vibrant center, including space for gatherings, music, art sales, and an outlet for art. For Knud Jensen, this idea was not at odds with the foundation of the '58 building'. At the time, he referred to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, where one feels comfortable regardless of the number of people present, with variation in spaces and activities. As long as each addition adds extra qualities to the existing ones, it is good. Landscape architect Agnete Petersen had emigrated to England. The architects proposed Ole Nørgaard (1925-1978). This collaboration resulted in the first expansion being not a building but a sculpture park on the south side of the park. Ole Nørgaard designed three terraces that sloped gently down towards the Øresund. The terraces were walled to exhibit various sculptures. Knud Jensen opened the sculpture park with an exhibition in the autumn of 1964, titled 'Middelheim meets Louisiana,' borrowing 50 sculptures from the museum in Antwerp. The design assumed that the old orchard could remain intact. The terraces not only offered different atmospheres for the art but also enriched the journey from the wide lawn in front of the villa to the steep edge by the sea, with exciting transitions from one terrace to another.
While the landscape architect was working on the 'Sculpture Garden', the architects (in this case Wohlert) continued with the design of the expansion of the exhibition spaces, the '66 building'. The need for larger spaces marked a turning point in the architectural approach. A lower and a higher hall were designed next to the 'Tree Passage', close to the villa and the nine-stemmed beech tree. The halls were separated by large sliding doors, allowing for large gatherings and a different way of exhibiting art. The lower hall blended in appearance with the existing buildings, while the higher hall was meant to be less conspicuous and was executed with vertically painted black planks. An eye-catching roof with skylights was originally designed for the higher hall but was not realized. The impatient and persistent Knud Jensen, shortly after the completion of these halls, asked the architects to work on the next expansion, the '71 building'. Modern art was increasing in scale, as seen in the works of Jackson Pollock, and this required a different approach. He needed an enclosed space with natural light from above. This expansion allowed for temporary exhibitions while keeping the permanent collection in the old buildings. Jørgen Bo continued the design of the lower and higher halls by extending them and playing with different floor levels (split level). Below the higher hall, a cinema was embedded in the landscape. The chairs, designed by Børge Mogensen, could be easily removed and stacked for multifunctional use. Additionally, the 'New Long Gallery' was designed, which could also serve as a circulation space for the cinema.
The restlessness persisted in Knud Jensen. In his vision, a museum had to reflect the ideas and spirit of the artists of that time. It meant more than just acquiring and displaying their works. Instead of a temple, he wanted a forum, something suitable for multiple types of activities. His fear of becoming outdated constantly haunted him. The location for the 'Great Hall' was behind the second lantern hall and next to the cafeteria. Wohlert and structural engineer Jørgen Petersen designed the '76 building'. Once again, they made good use of the natural height differences, creating space for a small theater hall with a larger and higher concert hall above it. Acoustic requirements were crucial for the latter. Inspiration, including for the ceiling, was drawn from a concert hall in Snape Maltings (UK) by Arup Associates. The most striking choice made by the architect for the concert hall was the diagonal arrangement of the chairs and the positioning of the stage in the corner, which was highly unusual. One of the walls is made of glass, providing a view of the sea, while two artworks by Alexander Calder hang on the other walls, seemingly inseparable from the space. To complete the Gesamtkunstwerk, the Louisiana chair was designed for this space by Poul Kjærholm, featuring wooden frames with woven wooden seat and backrest. The theatre hall was finished with cheaper materials, emphasising the informal character of this space. In terms of materialisation, this expansion aligned excellently with the first buildings from 1958.
Meanwhile, Jensen commissioned the realisation of two permanent installations in the park: Calder Terrace for the cafeteria and Moore Garden. Jensen delved into Calder's work and discovered unrealised installations. His dream was to exhibit them in Louisiana. He negotiated with Calder to have the installations made in Denmark (which also reduced costs). By the end of 1976, the installations were installed. Calder signed the installation with CA & KJ, playfully indicating that Knud Jensen had played a significant role in it. However, Moore Garden ultimately did not succeed. Jensen felt it was not right to look down on Moore's sculptures, and the plans were modified.
A period of many experiments followed. In 1977, Jensen offered artists and designers the opportunity to build models in the garden as part of the exhibition "Alternative Architecture." With Nørgaard, the possibilities of involving the lake more with the museum were explored by installing cable cars, shortly before his death; this also functioned for a while. In 1978, Jørgen Bo began designing the next expansion: the south wing along Gammel Strandvej. The intention was not to cut down any trees and not to interfere with the roots of existing trees, although this was not entirely successful, partly due to the need to accommodate more parking to satisfy the residents. The south wing was connected to the villa by a museum shop and a park passage. Bo then designed a layout of L-shaped halls connected to each other diagonally. To follow the natural slope of the terrain, the last hall is situated much lower. This space became a larger rectangular hall, the "low gallery," which provides access to two smaller spaces: the reading room and the panoramic room. In the panoramic room, one of my favorite artworks in this museum is displayed. It is a diving board that stands both indoors and outdoors, with a view of the Øresund. It gives you the illusion of freedom. The new construction seamlessly matched the materials and appearance of the older buildings. The south wing was completed in 1982.
From 1983, it was clear that there was no more room for further expansion of the museum. If there were to be any expansion, it had to be underground or integrated into the natural slope. Knud Jensen worked with artists to make better use of the park. For example, he had Serra create a proposal for an artwork that would blend into the landscape and through which visitors could walk. There were plans to connect the east and south wings underground, but they were not realized. Due to Wohlert's concern about art fatigue among visitors, he transformed the first hall of the south wing into a "conservatory," a place where people could sit and peacefully look around. It was a very successful change. In the late 1980s, Jensen succeeded in creating a large hall completely underground beneath the Calder Terrace. A winter garden was created next to the old wing, beside the basin passage. It beautifully connected to a lower terrace. With a flight of stairs, this terrace was connected to the Calder Terrace, providing seating for people on a beautiful day.
There has always been a "Children's House" at Louisiana. However, now entire school classes were coming to the museum at once, and the existing space in the villa was no longer sufficient. Wohlert was tasked with finding a new location for it, which ended up being in the '58 building’. Via a staircase leading downwards, you enter a new space that is built into the hill by the lake. It is not a traditional museum space but a space that stimulates children's creativity and invites exploration.
In 1991, Knud Jensen stepped down as the director of Louisiana to focus on architectural projects. It was important to create a better museum shop because it generates income. Wohlert's son, Claus, and partner Torben Schmidt expanded the space behind the villa and designed a large expansion at a lower level. The renovation was completed in time for Louisiana's 40th anniversary in 1998. Jensen still had a dream, a center for architecture and design: 'Louisiana by the beach.' He asked Jørn Utzon, the architect he had initially approached to design Louisiana, who was 80 years old at the time. Jørn Utzon accepted the commission and took it on with his son, Kim. The design was controversial, and there was a lot of resistance due to the expected crowds at the beach. The architects withdrew in 1999, and Jensen continued with Claus Wohlert. He was determined to realise this plan, but it faced too much opposition. In December 2000, a few days after his 84th birthday, Jensen passed away. He left behind a groundbreaking museum of 12,600 square meters, located in a beautiful sculpture park. He had worked for 42 years to realize his dream of making art a reflection of what is human and invisible in everyday life.
It has become quite a story, and we haven't even been able to focus on the garden or art yet. Louisiana attracts large numbers of visitors. Actually, too many to truly enjoy this place, the architecture, and the coast. Especially in the summer. Finding a spot on the terrace during our last visit turned into a hunting expedition, so we decided to go back to Rungstedlund. The gardens and the café are accessible even without visiting the museum, and it was an oasis. We ordered a bottle of white wine in a cooler and a plate full of delights and sat in the garden until closing time. With a glass in hand, you could take a leisurely stroll in the garden, daydream on the bridge, walk to the front to gaze over the Øresund, or observe the butterflies and birds. Karen Blixen has found her final resting place here. Knud Jensen is buried in the cemetery behind the museum on a part of the Louisiana grounds that he had donated to the church in 1955. The ultimate expressions of "genius loci."
2023
