David Collection ( Danish : David's Samling ) is a museum of fine and applied art in Copenhagen , Denmark, built around private collections of lawyer, businessman and art collector CL David .
The museum is particularly known for its collection of Islamic art from 8 to 19 century, which is one of the largest in Northern Europe. The museum also houses fine and applied art from 18th century Europe and the Danish Golden Age, as well as a small collection of Danish early modern art. All works of art in the collection of Danish early modern art were purchased by C.L. David himself .
The museum is located in a neoclassical building at 30 Kronprinsessegade in central Copenhagen, overlooking the garden of Rosenborg Castle . From 2006 to 2009, the meeting was closed to the public, and the room was renovated and rebuilt. When it reopened on May 15, 2009, the Danish national newspaper Politiken named it "the most exclusive museum in Denmark".
The museum is based on the private collection of K.L. David (1878-1960), lawyer of the Danish Supreme Court. The building in Kronprincessegad, which houses the museum, was once a private house of the founder and was originally purchased in 1810 by his great-grandfather SN David, but sold again in 1830. In 1917 it was reacquired by C.L. David, who settled there, but also made his collection available to the public on the upper floors of the building.
On December 12, 1945, the collection, together with the building that at home he became an independent institution, the David Foundation and the collection, and the museum was opened in 1948. Over the years, the exhibition space has continuously expanded and rebuilt the collection has grown. In 1960, after the death of the founder, the Foundation became the sole heir to his fortune.
In 1986, the foundation acquired the adjacent area, 32 Kronprinsessegade, where the architect Wilhelm Wolert, also known for his design of the Museum of Modern Art in Louisiana, designed a completely new gallery in 1990 for the expanding collection of Islamic miniatures.
Further renovations gradually included more rooms and improved the conditions. In 2006, the museum was temporarily closed to the public when it began to overhaul and rearrange its collections. It was opened on May 15, 2009.
After a fire in Copenhagen in 1795, the king gave the city a strip of land, which was part of the gardens of Rosenborg Castle. It was on this land that Kronprinsessegade 30 was built in 1806-07 together with other houses in the street.
The building was built in the neoclassical style that prevailed for Captain J.K. Krieger, his son-in-law, urban surveyor J.H. Ravert. The plan of the building, along with the other houses on the street, is a characteristic L-shape, consisting of three rooms overlooking the street and a dining room at the corner of each floor, where the front building meets the side building, along with a number of smaller rooms in the last section. The side building was extended by a five-story side annex, which originally included kitchens and maids quarters.
Architect Karl Petersen was responsible for the first renovation of the upper floor, where the roof was made steeper to create enough space for two large rooms with ceiling light. This restoration was completed around 1920.
Part of the upper floor was divided into three rooms, made in the neoclassical style with partially coffered ceilings, high panels and patterned parquet. The two rooms also had roof windows, as these rooms were used as galleries. Wood products still attract a lot of attention. Wood comes from the dock of King Christian VI, which was defeated in 1918. The darker or lighter color of oak depends on how much time he spent in the water.
In 1928, the architect Kaare Klint designed two showrooms for the growing porcelain collection. The walls are covered with Douglas spruce, and the exhibition showcases are made in Rudolf Rasmussen's workshop. The rooms and showcases are still in use, but now exclusively for the Islamic collection.
The ongoing reconstruction of the museum, which will continue until May 15, 2009, is being undertaken by Wohlert Arkitekter.
The collection is best known for its collection of Islamic art and contains works from almost the entire Islamic cultural sphere, from Spain in the west to India in the east and dates back to the 7th-19th centuries.
European and Danish collections include:
Furniture (Chippendale, works by David Rentgen).
Porcelain (including early Meissen porcelain) and faience
Silverware Dining
Sculptures and ceramics made by Danish artists between around 1880 and 1950.
Author's paintings