Laurits Tuxen

Laurits Tuxen’s (1853–1927) oeuvre is wide ranging. He was both a portrait painter for Europe’s royal families, producing grandiose, historical works, and a Skagen painter inspired by nature. In contrast to the pompous portraits of princes, in Skagen, it was the intimate motifs of family, friends and the landscape that interested him. Laurits Tuxen was clearly inspired by the ideas of vitalism and focused on outdoor life and the naked body.

Bonnat, French Naturalism and the Painting of Princes
As a student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1868-72, Tuxen had wanted to become a marine painter. However, due to his special talent, he was encouraged to specialise in the most distinguished genre of the time: figure painting. He subsequently travelled to Paris to study under Léon Bonnat – like the Skagen painter P.S. Krøyer – where he was inspired by French Naturalism. In the 1890s, when Skagen Art was at its peak, Tuxen travelled in Europe, painting the portraits of princes and royalty. Laurits Tuxen’s studio from this period is still to be found by St. Jørgens Sø (St George’s Lake) in Frederiksberg.

Pouring the Morning Coffee in Skagen
Laurits Tuxen first visited Skagen in 1870, and over the following decades sowed the seeds of the heyday of the artists’ colony. The well-travelled artist returned to Skagen in 1901. Tuxen captured everyday life in Skagen in his own way. This can be seen in works such as “Pouring the Morning Coffee” (1906) and “The North Sea in Stormy Weather. After Sunset. Højen” (1909) – both at The Art Museums of Skagen. Tuxen’s breadth and motif palette are celebrated with exhibitions to this day. And, like Krøyer, he has been named one of the great, unique artistic talents of the 19th century.