With the generous support of AFSMK Board Member Greg Moga III, twenty-five Michelangelo plaster casts from SMK’s Royal Cast Collection were restored for the Michelangelo Imperfect exhibition (March 29 – August 31, 2025). The restoration, completed in over 500 hours, ensures these masterpieces will continue to inspire. The exhibition is the most comprehensive presentation of Michelangelo’s sculptural works in 150 years and the largest ever held in Denmark.

With the support of AFSMK patron Sara Lysgaard, four paintings by German-born artist Kujahn Blask (1902–1970) have been added to SMK’s modernist collection. A prominent member of the Høst and Linien II groups, Blask’s work traces her evolution from figurative to abstract and constructivist styles, emphasizing her significant role in Danish modernism and the recognition of women artists in shaping art history.

Acquired by SMK in 2018, the painting Nymph and Faun was recently identified as Bathers after research uncovered a private note from its artist, Henri Matisse. Thanks to AFSMK’s fundraising efforts, the painting was restored and featured in the landmark exhibition Henri Matisse: The Red Studio at MoMA and SMK in 2022-2023. This piece is crucial for understanding Matisse's experimental phase and highlights the legacy of Danish art collector Christian Tetzen-Lund, who brought it to Denmark in 1919.

Thanks to AFSMK Board Member Khurram Jamil, the artwork ‘Foreigners Please Don’t Leave Us Alone With the Danes!’ (2002) by the artist collective Superflex was acquired for the SMK collection in 2016. On display in Sal 301, visitors are invited to take a free poster of the artwork home with them and join the movement. This acquisition further enriches SMK's contemporary art collection, offering thought-provoking perspectives on social and political issues in today's world.

Thanks to the AFSMK board and patrons, Federico Barocci’s Portrait of a Young Lady (c. 1535–1612), one of SMK’s most cherished Renaissance works, has been meticulously restored. The painting had been off view since 2010 due to water damage. A highlight of the restoration, led by Senior Conservator Troels Filtenborg, was the discovery of a pentimento beneath the woman’s hands, offering a glimpse into Barocci’s creative process and raising questions about the original composition, such as whether gloves were once part of the painting.

Thanks to a grant from the Getty Foundation, AFSMK took part in securing a comprehensive conservation and research project for SMK’s masterpiece The Ferry Boat to Antwerp by Jacob Jordaens (1623). This project involved restoration, scientific analysis, and exploration of the painting's materials, techniques, and history. The conservation work was shared with the public through an open studio exhibition, complete with lectures and weekly dialogues with visitors.

With the support of AFSMK patrons, C.W. Eckersberg’s Panorama Drawing from the Crown Prince’s Bastion at Kronborg (1824) has been beautifully restored, showcasing his pioneering vision with a vivid 360-degree view of Kronborg Castle. Created in the 1820s, Eckersberg’s groundbreaking panoramas immersed viewers in dynamic landscapes. Pieced together from eight sheets measuring 21 x 264 cm, this drawing stands as a testament to his innovative approach.

With the generous support of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, AFSMK established a fellowship program that facilitated the restoration of five masterpieces by Elias van den Broeck for SMK's Floral Exhibition. Created between 1672 and 1708, these paintings showcase the elegance and importance of Baroque floral still lifes, merging artistic brilliance with the scientific curiosity of the Dutch Golden Age.

AFSMK engaged in facilitating a strategic partnership with Rhizome for the Against All Odds: Historical Women and New Algorithms exhibition at SMK in 2024. This collaboration showcased Rhizome’s acclaimed 7x7 format, creating new partnerships that explored the intersection of AI, data, and historical art. It offering a fresh perspectives on the past and opened innovative pathways for interpreting collective memory.

Thanks to the support of the AFSMK board and patrons, Melchior Lorck’s rare painting The Virgin Mary and Child, the Infant St. John, and Two Angels (1552) was successfully re-acquired and returned to SMK's collection. Created by Lorck (1526/27–after 1583), a Danish-German Mannerist, this work is his only surviving signed and dated piece. After being sold under duress in 1935, it was acquired by SMK, and in 2022, its rightful heirs requested its return under the Washington Principles. This journey of restitution underscores AFSMK’s role in supporting SMK’s mission to safeguard art.

The exhibition Matisse: The Red Studio at The Museum of Modern Art in New York and SMK in 2022 reunited Henri Matisse’s iconic painting The Red Studio with all the artworks depicted in it. These works, which left Matisse’s studio over a century ago, were brought together for the exhibition. With the support of AFSMK, the painting Nymph and Faun underwent new research and conservation, revealing its original title Bathers. The exhibition provided a rare opportunity to experience The Red Studio as a complete, immersive artwork, underscoring Matisse’s pivotal role in European modernism.

The 2023 exhibition Beyond the Light: Identity and Place in 19th-Century Danish Art, presented at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, explored how Danish artists depicted the country’s evolving identity amid national upheaval. Featuring masterpieces by renowned artists like C.W. Eckersberg and Vilhelm Hammershøi, the exhibition provided fresh perspectives on the rich cultural and historical context of the period, promoting a deeper understanding of Denmark’s artistic legacy across the Atlantic.

The exhibition Chronicles of Solitude: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi from SMK was presented at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Scandinavia House in New York, and Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto in 2015 and 2016. It celebrated the atmospheric interiors of Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi, marking the centenary of his death. Known for his quiet, restrained depictions of solitude, Hammershøi’s works, including scenes from his Copenhagen apartment, were presented, and offered insight into his place within art history.

The exhibition L.A. Ring – On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring was presented at The National Nordic Museum in Seattle and the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 2018-2019. SMK holds the world’s largest collection of Ring’s works, and this marked the first solo presentation of the Danish artist (1854–1933) outside the Nordic countries. Ring’s art, which blends realism with symbolism, powerfully portrays the struggles of workers and farmers during Denmark’s industrialization, while also delving into themes of melancholy, mortality, and the human condition.

Renowned Danish pianist Nikolaj Hess and American pianist Kris Davis performed original compositions inspired by Matisse’s The Red Studio (1911), created specially for the exhibition of the same name at MoMA. This marked their first collaboration, blending visual art and music in a unique Danish-American exchange. Hess used prepared piano techniques and insights from his research project Transformative Reflections to translate the painting’s colors, structure, and mood into sound. The result was an evocative performance that highlighted how Matisse’s work continues to inspire across artistic disciplines.

New York Scandia Symphony, in collaboration with AFSMK, presented a special concert inspired by the Beyond the Light exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, celebrating masterpieces from the Danish Golden Age. The concert took place at the Lincoln Center in New York, and featured 50 leading musicians, with soloists Peter Reit and Will de Vos, under the direction of Scandia’s Music Director Dorrit Matson.

Discover the Golden Age of Danish art through a new digital learning platform developed by Area9 Lyceum in collaboration with SMK and AFSMK. Thanks to AFSMK Board Member Khurram Jamil, the innovative, adaptive learning experience offers an engaging way to explore Danish art history, featuring the masterpieces from SMK’s collection and exhibitions. The platform uses cutting-edge technology to personalize the learning journey, ensuring that you gain deeper insights into the art, artists, and historical context of the Golden Age.

Co-hosted with BARC Scandinavia, the annual Art as a Business Tool conference brings together business leaders, cultural institutions, foundations, investors, and donors to explore how art and culture can drive impactful ESG strategies and support CSRD compliance. With international keynote speakers, AFSMK brought the cultural sector into the conversation, highlighting the powerful potential of cross-sector partnerships to foster innovation, responsibility, and long-term value.

Thanks to the support of AFSMK Board Member Greg M. Moga III, internationally renowned musician Nikolaj Hess created a concert series to accompany the L.A. Ring exhibition at SMK in 2019. The series merged his research study Transformative Reflections, translating visual art into jazz composition and improvisation, and highlighted themes from the travel exhibition, such as the naturalism seen in the landscape paintings and the humanity captured through portraiture. It was recorded for digital broadcasting by film producer Andreas Johnsen.

To promote the Beyond the Light exhibition, new music compositions and concerts were presented by renowned Danish musicians and composers, including Nikolaj Hess, Ejnar Kanding, My Beautiful Decay 1973 (Carsten Bo Eriksen), and Josefine Opsahl. Staged at the J. Paul Getty Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, these performances offered a fresh perspective on 19th-century Danish art, enriching the exhibition with a new understanding.