About the building

In Jernbanegade in Odense you can find many prominent buildings constructed around 1900 in varying styles, among these is Funen Art Museum.

The art collection of Odense was placed in the first museum the city had ever seen in 1885. This museum also had to house the archeological and zoological collections. The museum which was constructed in the style of classicism with gables held up by orderly columns was built by the local mason Fr.E Andersen with the help of the Architect Emil Schwanenflügel.

The façade of the museum was richly decorated and on the top between the first and the second floor there is a frieze with scenes from Danish history and Nordic mythology. The frieze was made by professor C.C. Peters. Furthermore there were sculptures created by the sculptor Aksel Hansen. Today the only remaining sculpture of these is the sculpture of Pallas Athena, goddess of science and art, on the gable.

The museum was enlarged in 1896 after drawings made by the architect Niels Rasmussen, who also designed two other buildings in Jernbanegade, namely the Grand Hotel and Odense Theatre.

Since 1989 Funen Art Museum has been dedicated solely to art and the other exhibits have moved to other locations.

In the years 1993-1997 Funen Art Museum underwent a radical renovation both inside and out and on this occasion the museum also got its characteristic color scheme. The architect Torsten Thorup was the mind behind the renovation.

You can read more about the history of the museums of Odense here