Finn Juhl
A house in total harmony
The sun shines and dazzles in a meter-high, wavy, silvery quilt of stainless steel that spreads out over the courtyard and leads the visitor to a building that resembles a snail in raw, blackened lava concrete and tinted window glass. Next to it is a magnificent old mansion.
The silver quilt turns out to be the roof of the Norwegian ‘starchitects’ Snøhetta’s new underground gallery for the collection of French Impressionist art, the concrete snail is by Zaha Hadid and the Arts and Crafts inspired mansion from 1918 was Wilhelm and Henry Hansen’s home, designed by Gotfred Tvede, and also housed their impressive art collection.
The Ordrupgaard museum is one of Denmark’s finest excursions for those interested in art and architecture, located where cosmopolitan Copenhagen transitions to prosperous residential communities along the coast. Finn Juhl‘s home was opened to the public in 2008 as a part of the museum. As an architect, Finn Juhl is probably best known for the impressive Trusteeship Council Chamber at the United Nations headquarters in New York, completed in 1952—a well-founded assignment also given Juhl’s cultural interests.
