C. L. David acquired works of art created by some of the most prominent artists of the day, including P. S. Krøyer, the brothers Joakim and Niels Skovgaard, Johannes Larsen, Albert Gottschalk and Axel Salto. While most of the acquisitions were made at auctions, some works were bought at exhibitions or directly from the artists themselves.

Four artists are particularly richly represented in the Collection of Danish Early Modern Art, namely Vilhelm Hammershøi, J.F. Willumsen, Theodor Philipsen and Peter Hansen. Regrettably, C.L. David left behind very little source material regarding the thoughts and motivations behind his purchases of Danish art. With one exception, back in 1960, C.L. David predicted that Hammershøi would have an enduring legacy as one of Denmark’s greatest painters. His prediction came true, and thanks to the museum’s founder, The David Collection now has one of the finest collections of Hammershøi’s art.