Classicist and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts; formative for Danish history painting and scenography. Mythology, antiquity, and moral allegories characterize his oeuvre.
The Wounded Philoctetes (1775)
Scenographies and decorations for the Royal Theatre
Abildgaard: The Wounded Philoctetes (1775). Photo: Statens Museum for Kunst / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Jens Juel (1745–1802)
One of the great portrait painters of the 18th century; combines classicist elegance with psychological presence.
Niels Ryberg with his son Johan Christian and daughter-in-law Engelke (1797)
Portrait of A.P. Bernstorff (1783)
Juel: The Ryberg Family Portrait (1797). Photo: Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783–1853)
“The father of Danish painting” and a central figure in the Golden Age; strict composition, clear light, and precise perspective.
View through Three Arches of the Third Storey of the Colosseum (1815–1816)
Nude Model, Seen from Behind (19th century)
Eckersberg: View through Three Arches of the Third Storey of the Colosseum (1815/16). Photo: Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Christen Købke (1810–1848)
The lyricist of the Golden Age; intimate motifs, fine light, and sober realism with poetic calm.
Autumn Morning on Lake Sortedam (1838)
Portrait of Frederik Sødring (1832)
Købke: Autumn Morning on Lake Sortedam (1838). Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
P.C. Skovgaard (1817–1875)
Main figure in national romantic landscape painting; celebrates the Danish beech forests and domestic motifs with monumental presence.
Beech Forest in May (1857)
Road in a Beech Forest (1850s)
Skovgaard: Beech Forest in May (1857). Photo: Statens Museum for Kunst / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Theodor Philipsen (1840–1920)
Pioneer of Danish Impressionism; animal and landscape motifs, often painted en plein air on Amager and in Dyrehaven.
Cattle on Amager / Saltholm (1880s)
Autumn in Dyrehaven (1890s)
Philipsen: Cattle on Saltholm. Photo: Statens Museum for Kunst / Wikimedia (Public Domain/PD-license stated on file page).
Peder Severin Krøyer (1851–1909)
International front figure of Skagen painting; master of light, midsummer, and social scenes.
Summer Evening on Skagen's Southern Beach (1893)
Hip, hip, hurrah! Artists' Party at Skagen (1888)
Krøyer: Summer Evening on Skagen's Southern Beach (1893). Photo: Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
L.A. Ring (1854–1933)
Symbolic realism and social perspective; atmospheric village and landscape scenes with an existential tone.
At Harvest (1885)
Summer Day, Roskilde Fjord (1900)
L.A. Ring: At Harvest (1885). Photo: Statens Museum for Kunst / Wikimedia Commons (CC0/Public Domain).
Anna Ancher (1859–1935)
Skagen painter with exceptional sense of color; interiors and everyday life, where light is the main character.
Sunlight in the Blue Room (1891)
Girl in the Kitchen (1880s)
Anna Ancher: Sunlight in the Blue Room (1891). Photo: Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864–1916)
Poet of Nordic modernism; quiet interiors in gray tones, few figures, and a hypnotic calm.
Interior in Strandgade, Sunshine (1901)
The Dance of Dust Motes in Sunbeams (1900)
Hammershøi: Interior from the Strandgade series. Photo: Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Harald Giersing (1881–1927)
Front figure in Danish modernism; simplified forms, rhythmic brushstrokes, and dynamic motifs.
Football Players (1913)
Model on Sofa (1916)
Giersing: Football Player (International Match), ca. 1912–17. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain, faithful reproduction).
Vilhelm Lundstrøm (1893–1950)
Masculine classicism and cubist-inspired still lifes; clear forms, “packages” and strict color economy.
Still Life (1918)
Seated Female Model (1950)
Lundstrøm: Seated Female Model (1950). Photo: Statens Museum for Kunst / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
Asger Jorn (1914–1973)
COBRA co-founder; expressive color energy, spontaneous gesture and humorously biting imagery.
Stalingrad, le non-lieu (1957–1972)
The Disturbing Duckling (1959)
Per Kirkeby (1938–2018)
Geologist and artist; layered, material-conscious paintings where nature’s processes are deposited in color and form.
Untitled (1980s) – large, layered abstractions
Untitled (1990s) – series with deep, earthy colors
Tal R (b. 1967)
Colorful contemporary artist; figurative-abstract worlds blending folklore, pop, and art historical references.
