The monument is flanked by two other bronze statues, Jules Dalou's Field Worker (1893) and Constantin Meunier's The Hammerman.

On the front side of the plinth is a relief of the winged genius of painting wearing a Phrygian cap and with a raised torch.

On the two sides are two square bronze reliefs based on Carstens's original drawings of "Jason and the Golden Fleece" (left) and "Night with her children Sleep and Death."

He championed the Neoclassical style among the city's German and Scandinavian expat artists and was thus an important source of influence for a young Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The proposal received hefty criticism from many sides, even from J. N. Madvig, who had recently assumed the position as president of the Carlsberg Foundation.

In an article in Fædrelandet, he did not just oppose the location but the mere idea of erecting a monument to an artist, arguing that such statues should be reserved for royalty, military leaders and literary figures.

The monument was later moved to the central reservation of Vestre Boulevard in conjunction with the opening of the new Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.