KRAESTEN IVERSEN

(Danish, 1886-1955)

STILL-LIFE OF LILIES, LILAC AND TULIPS

Oil on Canvas

36 x 24 Inches

Signed Lower Right ‘K.I’

Born in Copenhagen in 1886, Kraesten Iversen first studied with Hendrik Gronvold at the Copenhagen Academy of Fine Arts. An early member of the Bornholm School, he exhibited with success at the Charlottenborg Academy beginning in 1919. That same year, his large mythological work, 'Odysseus and Naussicaa' was purchased by the Société des Artistes Français for inclusion in their permanent collection. In 1930, Iversen was appointed Professor of Art at the Copenhagen Academy and subsequently became an influential academic proponent of modernist ideas while continuing to exhibit widely throughout Europe. He worked in many different media including glass and was the recipient of numerous commissions to design windows in both public and devotional buildings, including the city hall in Aarhus and Saint Nikolaj's church in Svendborg. The Bornholm School developed a distinctive style of classically-derived modernism, inspired by the island’s unique landscapes and light. We are pleased to offer a dramatic and lyrical still-life, painted circa 1920, that exemplifies modernist ideas, while remaining firmly anchored in classical tradition.

 

Reference:

Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Vol . VII, p. 396; Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler, Vollmer Supplement, Vol. II, p. 583; Davenport’s Art Reference Guide, 2007/8 Edition, p.1231; Mallett’s Index of Artists, p. 138; Weilbach, Dansk Kunstnerleksikon;  Artnet.com; Artfact.com; AskArt.com; et al.