Its members included Joakim Frederik Schouw, Henrik Nicolai Clausen, Niels Laurits Høyen, Hermann Ernst Freund, Jonas Collin and Just Mathias Thiele.

[1] The building is strongly inspired by antique Greek architecture and built around an inner courtyard where the artist is buried.

The courtyard is notable for being painted in Egyptian motifs: tall date palms; lions and crocodile prowl among exotic birds and plants.

[3] The museum displays a comprehensive collection of the artist's works in marble as well as plaster, including the original plaster models used in the making of cast bronze and marble statues and reliefs, which are now on display in museums, churches, and at other locations around the world.

The museum also features paintings, Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiques, drawings, and prints that Thorvaldsen collected during his lifetime, as well as a wide array of personal belongings that he used in his work and everyday life.