This Friday I visited the New Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen,

the capital of Denmark known for the statue of the Little Mermaid.

I came to Copenhagen very early in the morning.

I had dropped my son off at Copenhagen Airport for a transatlantic flight.

Copenhagen was still asleep.

Baresso, my favorite coffee shop, opened at 7.30 a.m.

So. I spent some time sightseeing before breakfast.<br><br><div style="text-align: center;"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-amalienborg.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=263><br><br>The Royal Castle, Amalienborg was wrapped.<br><br><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-parliament.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=144><br><br>The Parliament, Christiansborg was wrapped.<br><br><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-city-hall.jpg" HEIGHT=177 WIDTH=200><br><br>The City Hall was wrapped.<br><br><br>

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Christo???</span>

The National Bank, The Tivoli Concert Hall and the New Carlsberg Glyptotek was kind of wrapped, too.

Might it be an art work by Christo accomplished over night?

What a surprise!

What an excellent idea!

Excellent.

Or?

Was it nothing but prosaic reconstruction, rebuilding, restoration, renovation.

I have decided not to ask.

I was stuck in an elevator in the parking house.

I totally panicked.

Baresso was not far away.

A double espresso and a focaccia bread.

And a double americano.

Was what it took to recover.<br><br><br><span style="font-weight:bold;">Carlsberg</span>

Carlsberg's slogan is "Probably the Best Bear in the World".

If it is the Best?

Try it out.<br><br><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-pilsner-200.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=60><br><br>I found Carlsberg's web site, and the title was:

<a href="http://www.carlsberg.com">Carlsberg.com</a> - Probably the Best Website in the World.

Try it out.

The World?

You might have seen these Carlsberg advertisements....<br><br><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-venice.jpg" HEIGHT=150 WIDTH=200 hspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-red-square.jpg" HEIGHT=150 WIDTH=200 hspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-carlsberg-bangkok.jpg" HEIGHT=150 WIDTH=200 hspace="10"><br><br>I asked friends in New York, in Paris, and in Tokyo.

What is Carlsberg?

All of them answered : "A bear".

In <span style="font-weight:bold;">1847</span> Carlsberg's founder I.C. Jacobsen started the beer production in the first Carlsberg brewery plant, know as the Old Carlsberg.

In <span style="font-weight:bold;">1880</span> - as part of a fatiguing family drama - Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder, established his own brewery, New Carlsberg.

This fatiguing family drama is documented in books and has been the theme of a very spell-binding TV serial.

In <span style="font-weight:bold;">1887</span> I.C. Jacobsen died and Old Carlsberg and New Carlsberg were united in the Carlsberg Foundation.<br><br><br><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">And the Carlsberg Foundation

made<br>over the years<br>an awful lot of money.</span></div><br clear=all><br><br><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">New Carlsberg Glyptotek</span>

However.

In one area I.C. Jacobsen and Carl Jacobsen were united.

They were both passionate art collectors.

<IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-glyptotek-north-west.jpg" HEIGHT=178 WIDTH=200 hspace="10" align="left">The <a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/">New Carlsberg Glyptotek</a> was founded 1897 by Carl Jacobsen who created one of the largest private art collections of his time. It was named after his brewery, New Carlsberg, with the addition of "Glyptotek", meaning collection of sculpture. He was interested in contemporary French and Danish art, as well as ancient art from the cultures surrounding the Mediterranean. To secure the future of the collection, Carl Jacobsen and his wife Ottilia donated it to the public in two deeds of gift from 1888 and 1899. The Museum's buildings were created to house these works of art.<br clear=all><br><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-vinterhave.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=156 hspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-trapperum-larsen.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=158 hspace="10"><br clear=all><br><br><span style="font-weight:bold;">Collection of ancient art</span>

Today, the museum houses the largest collection of ancient art in Northern Europe, primarily sculpture, from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Italy.<br><br><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-egypt.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=125 hspace="10" vspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-greece-trozella.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=183 hspace="10" vspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-etreua-statue.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=145 hspace="10" vspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-etreua-wase.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=137 hspace="10" vspace="10"><br clear=all><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-pompey.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=168 hspace="10" vspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-aphrodite.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=123 hspace="10" vspace="10"><IMG BORDER=0 SRC="http://www.lonvig.dk/artblog-16-alexander-the-great.jpg" HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=138 hspace="10" vspace="10"><br clear=all><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Egypt</span> <a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=54765&ItemIDs=undefined">Statue</a>, 1403 B.C. - 1365 B.C. Diorite, H. 160 cm.

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Greece </span><a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=55741&ItemIDs=undefined">Vase</a>, Apulian Amphora, Trozzella 500 BC.- 475 B.C. Clay, H. 33.3 cm

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Etruria </span><a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=56179&ItemIDs=undefined">Statue</a>, from Chiusi, 500 - 330 B.C. H. 100 cm

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Etruria </span><a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=55820&ItemIDs=undefined">Vase</a>, Archaic 700 - 500 B.C. Clay, H: 47.5 cm

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Rome </span><a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=53549&ItemIDs=undefined">Pompey the Great</a>, 106 BC.- 48 BC. Marble, H. 25 cm

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Rome </span><a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=55019&ItemIDs=undefined">Aphrodite</a>, Roman Imperial Period, 30 B.C.- 500 A.D. Marble, H. 92 cm

<span style="font-weight:bold;">Rome </span><a href="http://www.glyptoteket.dk/13743415-E247-499E-8E01-C1468A5FCFD4.W5Doc?frames=no&ItemID=53934&ItemIDs=undefined">Alexander the Great</a>, Roman copy (2. cent. AD) of Greek original (2. cent. BC). Marble, H. 36 cm</span><br clear=all><br><br><span style="font-weight:bold;">Collection of European, French and Danish art</span>

But during the more than one hundred years of its existence, the museum has also expanded the collection of French and Danish art from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

I was at New Carlsberg Glyptotek for the first time decades ago.

I was there together with my art teacher Jes Dueholm Jessen - a great art teacher.

It took my breath away.

Paul Gauguin, Paul C