Sophienholm: Art in an English-style garden

Mariano A. Davies delves into the fascinating history and architecture of the country house Sophienholm.

Photographs: Courtesy of Sophienholm

Text: Mariano Anthony Davies

The country house “Sophienholm” was built in 1768 by Theodor Holmskiold, Director-in-Chief of the Danish Postal Services. In 1790, it was sold to a wealthy merchant, Constantin Brun, who commissioned the renowned French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée to carry out a thorough renovation, and between 1800-1805, it was virtually completely rebuilt and enlarged to its present appearance.

History

Constantin Brun’s wife, Friederike Brun, was in her day a well-known writer of travel books, as well as a songwriter and a poet. She was equally well-known for her musical and literary salons in Geneva, Rome and, not least, Copenhagen. At Sophienholm, she gathered round her the foremost writers, poets, musicians and composers of the day - the so-called Danish Golden Age artists together with European colleagues.

In 1963, the Lyngby-Taarbæk town council purchased Sophienholm. It was gingerly restored and four years later, 1967, opened to the public with an exhibition of art from the Danish Golden Age (1800-50). It was restored again in 1994, with new flooring, new interior lighting and a new security alarm system.

Art exhibitions

Sophienholm pursues an exhibition policy that is focused on themes of current interest and on exhibiting works of art by renowned artists as well as arranging exhibitions relating to themes in art history. The emphasis is particularly on national topics, but also more general European and Scandinavian art themes are its focus of attention.

The aim is to ensure both high quality, current interest and comprehensiveness. In other words, the needs of both the general public and those of a narrower circle of connoisseurs must be catered for without compromising the highest standards imaginable. It takes pride in its efforts to present art in a contemporary setting.

During the summer season, various arrangements (concerts and entertainment) take place in the surrounding park – especially for children.

The park

The gardens of Sophienholm are unique in Danish landscape gardening tradition. From the very beginning, it was designed by J.-J. Ramée in the style of a typical “English” style romantic, landscape garden. Though a well-preserved romantic overall structure can still be recognized, the park has been enriched with valuable additions and alterations by some of the owners, many of whom were especially interested in gardening.

The town council undertook these changes and additions to make the splendours of the place more readily accessible to the general public. In this way, Sophienholm has been turned into more than just an excursion destination. Here you can enjoy a sensitively shaped piece of nature with open grassy stretches and beautiful, old trees. It is also a place where the development of Danish landscape gardening over 200 years can be studied.

Stunning periodic architecture

The characteristic white main building, which was built in 1769, today houses an art gallery in the middle and right wings. The art gallery has changing exhibitions mainly with contemporary art and an entrance from the courtyard. In the left wing, you will find the café, which has an entrance from the garden. The current appearance of the main building with a second floor and tin roof is attributed to the French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée.

The red stable building once housed the stables, carriages and horse stalls - the latter can still be seen in the aisle, where columns and arches are designed in neo-Gothic style. Today, behind the left carriage gate, you can find the CoBrA room (semi-abstract paintings with brilliant colour, violent brushwork and distorted human figures inspired by primitive and folk art and similar to American action painting) and the beautiful CoBrA loft. Lyngby-Taarbæks Billedskole (“Art School”) has a workshop in the loft, and Sophienholm Kunsthal holds workshops, lectures and concerts both inside the stable building and in the courtyard in front.

On the edge of the park is Norske Hus (“Nordic House”), which was historically used for small parties and dining as a hermitage, meaning without service. Today, the house is used periodically for artistic expression. At the entrance to Sophienholm, you first encounter the old Porter's Lodge. It was probably built in 1804, when Nybrovej was moved north. It has a neo-Gothic dormer with Gothic ornaments. Finally, the small children’s dolls house on the north side of the main building originated in the mid-1880s, when 10-year-old Valdemar Aller built the first version with scraps of wood from doors, gates and wooden fences hammered onto four poles.

Sophienholm Kunsthal (“Art Gallery”) is one of Denmark's 16 art galleries - located in incredibly beautiful surroundings in its own park with a stunning view of Bagsværd Lake. The park is the perfect place for a walk before or after visiting the art gallery.