Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen

Thorvaldsens Museum is a museum devoted entirely to the work of Bertel Thorvaldsen, the Danish-Icelandic sculptor who spent most of his working life in Rome. Its building was designed by Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll and built from 1838 to 1848 after a public fundraising campaign. Look at the severe trapezoidal entrance doors: their design draws on Greek, Pompeian, and Egyptian architecture.

Inside, the rooms each have their own ceiling decoration, while the courtyard is painted with Egyptian scenes of palms, animals, birds, and luxuriant plants. Thorvaldsen is buried in that courtyard, giving the museum an unusually direct connection to the artist it presents. The collections extend beyond finished sculpture: you can see plaster models made for works later cast in marble or bronze, along with paintings, antiquities, drawings, prints, and objects from Thorvaldsen’s daily life.