A DAY AT THE BEACH. Danish Art 1830-1910

20 June 2025 – 11 January 2026

L.R. Ring: Lady at Karrebæksminde Beach, Zaeland, 1898. SMK — L.R. Ring: *Lady at Karrebæksminde Beach, Zaeland*, 1898. SMK

Denmark is hemmed in by sea and encircled by beaches. There have always been people here, drudging away and working their fingers to the bone. One day in the 19th century, artists discovered beaches. Initially, they were looking for drama – major shipwrecks and groundings – but they went on to become fascinated by the everyday work of the fishermen and the myriad reflections of light in sand and water. The latter half of the 19th century saw the arrival of holidaymakers: now beaches were also a haven for sunbathing.

A DAY AT THE BEACH is a panoramic exhibition that spotlights Danish artists and their perspective on a unique landscape in the years between 1830 and 1914. The paintings reflect major shifts in life on the beach: everything from bodies washed ashore to beachboys; from hard grind to sun-drenched idleness.

The exhibition presents not only familiar, much-loved beach motifs, but also a number of rarely seen gems from Danish art history. The exhibition will be accompanied by the publication of a small catalogue featuring the best pictures in the exhibition with an introduction by the curator, Rasmus Kjærboe, PhD.

The exhibition's scenography is created by exhibition architect and scenographer Luise Midtgaard

Exhibition lighting is designed by Arthur van der Zaag from Copenhagen Lighting Studio.

Visit the Hirschsprung Collection and follow in the artists’ footsteps – right down to the water’s edge, where sea meets land.

What kind of place is the beach, what does it mean to us, and how have Danish artists depicted the Danish coastline?

Listen to museum curator Rasmus Kjærboe and curatorial assistant Siw Ranis talk about the beach of dreams on the occasion of the special exhibition A Day at the Beach. Danish Art at the Water’s Edge 1830–1910.

The film is produced by Besyv.

Listen to museum curator Rasmus Kjærboe and professor of Nordic Literature Søren Frank talk about the beach, climate change, and how artists have perceived the climate and the changing landscape of the beach.

Peder Severin Krøyer: Summer Evening on the South Beach, Skagen Anna Ancher and Marie Krøyer (1893). Oil on canvas. The Hirschsprung Collection — Peder Severin Krøyer: *Summer Evening on the South Beach, Skagen Anna Ancher and Marie Krøyer* (1893). Oil on canvas. The Hirschsprung Collection

J.F. Willumsen: Fear of Nature. After the Storm no. 2, 1916, J.F. Willumsen Museum — J.F. Willumsen: *Fear of Nature. After the Storm no.* 2, 1916, J.F. Willumsen Museum

Michael Ancher: A Stroll on the Beach, 1896, Skagens Museum. — Michael Ancher: *A Stroll on the Beach*, 1896, Skagens Museum.

Carl Bloch: The Bathing Hour. A Young Girl Knocking at a Fisherman’s Window, 1884, SMK. — Carl Bloch: *The Bathing Hour. A Young Girl Knocking at a Fisherman’s Window,* 1884, SMK.

Martinus Rørbye: The beach at Skagen Vesterby. A boat unloading peat. 1847, Nivaagards Malerisamling. — Martinus Rørbye: *The beach at Skagen Vesterby. A boat unloading peat*. 1847, Nivaagards Malerisamling.

Jørgen Roed: A Fisherwoman, 1854, Randers Kunstmuseum — Jørgen Roed: *A Fisherwoman*, 1854, Randers Kunstmuseum

Carl Bloch: Fishermen’s Families Awaiting their Return in an Approaching Storm. From the West Coast of Jutland (1858). Oil on canvas. The Hirschsprung Collection — Carl Bloch: *Fishermen’s Families Awaiting their Return in an Approaching Storm. From the West Coast of Jutland* (1858). Oil on canvas. The Hirschsprung Collection

Frants Henningsen: From the Beach at Hornbæk, 1883, The Hirschsprung Collection — Frants Henningsen: *From the Beach at Hornbæk*, 1883, The Hirschsprung Collection

The exhibition is supported by

Augustinus Fonden, Ny Carlsbergfondet, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond