The Danish artist Michael Otto Albert Kvium is best known for his raw, visual universe with caricatured figures in a state of undress – both literally and figuratively. The dark side of life is in focus, and he exposes human weaknesses through his distorted and deformed creatures, depicted in the midst of grotesque situations and macabre actions. Michael Kvium studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1979-85. His artistic breakthrough came in the 1980s with his films and performances, among other things as part of the expressive art movement called De Unge Vilde (the young and wild). Kvium is best known for his paintings but he has also made sculptures, films, performance art and scenography. The themes Kvium tackles in his art are often the universal stuff of conflicts such as transitoriness, the body and the recesses of the mind. Several of his works feature eyes, brain matter and red sausages.
The Self-Portrait, Michael Kvium and the Boundary between Artist and Work
Michael Kvium has on several occasions incorporated elements from the self-portrait into his work. Several of his grotesque figures – their faces in particular – bear a certain resemblance to the artist’s own appearance and challenge the interfaces between artist and work. One of Kvium’s best-known works is “The Naked Eye on a Welldressed Lie III” from 2012, which depicts a ballet dancer in a sombre and mysterious pose.
Michael Kvium’s Art Divides the Waters
Together with Christian Lemmerz, Sonny Tronborg and Ingunn Jørstad, Michael Kvium formed the performance group “VÆRST” (Worst) in 1985. Kvium worked with the staging of the group’s performances, and some of the themes from this have later been further developed in his paintings. “What art can do is create a scene where we dare to step up to problems that we dare not face in the real world,” he once said about his art. It’s not an easy thing to be confronted by such stark realism, which is why Michael Kvium has always divided the waters between the dedicated collectors and the naysayers. Kvium has exhibited all over the world and received major awards. Today, his works are an essential part of Danish cultural heritage.
Michael Kvium at Exhibition
Michael Kvium is represented at Horsens Art Museum, the National Gallery of Denmark, Esbjerg Art Museum, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Oluf Høst Museum and Trapholt Museum for Art and Modern Design. He has exhibited internationally at museums and galleries in Norway, Sweden, Finland, China, the Netherlands and Germany, among other countries.
Michael Kvium’s Nominations and Awards
In 2010, Kvium became a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and has also received the Danish Arts Foundation’s honorary award.
Works by Michael Kvium for Sale at Bruun Rasmussen
More and more collectors are buying Michael Kvium’s paintings and graphics at auction. At Bruun Rasmussen, we have works for sale that arouse interest and are relevant to buyers and collectors. Here, you can keep an eye on the works by Michael Kvium that you can bid on right now.
If you’re a seller, you can read our guide on how to sell art at our Live and Online Auctions here.
