Whoever arrives in Helsingør in Denmark by ferry from Helsingborg in Sweden and then wants to carry on to Copenhagen is advised to stay off the motorway and drive southwards along the delightful coastal road. One benefit is that this route takes you past numerous pretty beach villas that grace the Danish Riviera, the other is that it will lead you to Humlebæk, home of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Even for those not so interested in modern art this museum is worth a visit. The sculpture park and the café terrace offer a stunningly beautiful view across the Øresund towards the Swedish coastline. Art, architecture and landscape blend together to form an impressive ensemble: Henry Moore’s voluminous “Reclining Figures” lodged between ancient, giant trees and weeping willows, Joan Miró’s affable bronze man playing between huge ferns and sumptuous rhododendrons, glittering ponds and deserted paths – and among all this the light-flooded winter gardens that house the art collection. And at all times, the sea within touching distance.

It was the cheese producer, businessman, art patron and collector Knud Jensen (1916–2000) who between 1956 and 1958 turned the former manor house built in 1856 into one of the most remarkable art foundations – in the face of initial opposition from the authorities and local people. The villa at the museum’s entrance had been built by the previous owner of the estate, Alexander Brun, a master of the hunt who had three wives, each of whom was called Louise. In honour of them the place (and thus the museum) was named “Louisiana”.

Since its opening the complex designed by Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert has been enlarged by modern extensions on several occasions. The building materials were always the same: brick, wood and glass. The most recent building addition to date, a separate department to hold the prints collection, was constructed like a tunnel into the hill. This now at last creates a walk-through circuit for the whole museum, even on various levels. There are very few museums that create such a harmonious synthesis of architecture and natural surroundings as Louisiana does. Indeed, in some places the landscape feels almost as if it had been specifically designed as a backdrop for the art. Take, for instance, the gallery with Giacometti’s sculptures “Venetian Women” and “Man Walking” which, set in front of the hanging branches of dark willows and the smooth surface of the lake, appear to be even further adrift than they might elsewhere: haggard human columns shaped from hardened lava.

Intended initially as a home for Scandinavian art, the museum developed into a centre for international modern art, not least of all thanks to the generous gifts from the Carlsberg brewery. The collection’s main focus is on works by the Constructivists (such as Naum Gabo) and Pop Art (i.e. Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg). One room has been devoted entirely to members of the Cobra Group, an assembly of Belgian, Dutch and Danish artists formed in 1948. But Louisiana also has sufficient space for more recent developments in art, such as one of Mario Merz’s Igloos, for Joseph Beuys’s “Honey Pump” or Anselm Kiefer’s sombre panels “Ausgiessung” (Outpouring) and “Inflamation” (Inflammation).

The catalogue of the collection reads like a “Who’s Who” of contemporary art. Hardly surprising, then, that each year more than half a million visitors turn up to see works by Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Max Bill, Henri Laurens, Richard Serra or Alexander Calder – whose mobile “Little Janey-Waney” has now almost become the museum’s emblem – all permanent fixtures of the museum’s prestigious holdings. Highly regarded by artists and much loved among visitors are also the numerous special exhibitions of high international acclaim. Should you feel exhausted after experiencing such a wealth of forms and colours, impressions and stimulation, and are in need of respite, the best thing to do is to retire to the reading room with its stunning panoramic view and guarded over by wooden marabous from the Ivory Coast. After which it will be time to attend one of the many outstanding concerts that are held in the large hall.

Further information in Danish and English: www.louisiana.dk