Fyns Kunstmuseum (Funen Art Museum)

Jernbanegade 13

About

The founding fathers of one of the oldest, largest, and best art museums outside of Copenhagen wanted it to be a miniature version of the Statens Museum for Kunst in the Danish capital. Opening the Odense museum in the early 1880s, they long ago succeeded in their ambition. Their once-stated goal of "a little bit of everything" is clearly on display today, with a collection dating from 1750 to the present, going from the classics to abstract modern. The permanent exhibitions are beefed up with special shows presented several times a year, some of them world-class in interest, depth, and perspective (often devoted to themes featuring one artist or a collective group such as the French Impressionists). There are some fine sculptures but it is Danish painting that is clearly the star attraction here. Predictably the largest array of paintings is devoted to the artists of Funen, particularly Peter Hansen and Johannes Larsen. Our favorite painting here is the evocative, powerful Udslidt, meaning "worn out," the work of the enormously talented H. A. Brendekilde.

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