Complex Artistry
Per Kirkeby was a prolific artist who created a versatile life’s work. Internationally, Kirkeby is best known for his large-format abstract paintings and settings-like brick sculptures. In the early 1950s, Kirkeby was largely preoccupied with landscapes, but in the 1960s, he became part of the experimental art school Eks-skolen, where, inspired by American Pop Art, he embraced the phenomenon of mass culture. At the end of the 1970s, Kirkeby changed track and began to transfer geology and nature studies as well as literary and art historical references to his paintings, which were built up from many layers of oil paint in muted earth tones. This was especially the case with his works from Læsø, the island that served as a source of inspiration and a refuge for the artist for three decades.
Per Kirkeby and His Main Works
With his versatile art, Kirkeby established a name for himself abroad back in the 1980s, forming an important link between Denmark and the international art scene. Per Kirkeby painted the ceiling at Den Sorte Diamant (The Black Diamond), one of the rotundas at the Geological Museum, created bronze sculptures for the Opera House in Copenhagen and decorated the Federal Council building in Berlin. As one of his last works, Kirkeby designed a mausoleum for his friend John Hunov, who is buried at Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård cemetery. The mausoleum, in which Per Kirkeby incorporated niches in the brickwork to house pieces from his friend’s art collection, was built in 2018–2019.
Per Kirkeby and Abstract Art Spanning More Than 50 years
Kirkeby’s approach to art was complex. Not only did he work with various artistic genres such as painting, lithography, graphics and sculpture, but in addition to his work as a visual artist, he was also a geologist, poet, author of art books, professor, film maker and Greenland explorer. His time at Eks-skolen in 1962 helped shape his perception of art. Together with his fellow artists Paul Gernes, Peter Louis-Jensen and Bjørn Nørgaard, he explored the new possibilities of expression offered by Pop Art, happenings and Minimalism. Per Kirkeby was an eminent painter who had a decisive influence on Scandinavian abstract art for more than 50 years.
Per Kirkeby and Selected Exhibitions
Per Kirkeby: Retrospective, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk 2008; Per Kirkeby. Bronze. Kaltnadel. Holz. Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich 2014; Per Kirkeby komplet. Det raderede livsværk (Per Kirkeby Complete. The Etched Life’s Work), Museum Jorn, Silkeborg 2015; Kirkeby på Læsø – om Læsø i Per Kirkebys kunst (Kirkeby on Læsø – about Læsø in Per Kirkeby’s art), Læsø Kunsthal, Østerby 2016. Per Kirkeby has on several occasions been represented at the Venice Biennale and at the Documenta exhibitions in Kassel.
Per Kirkeby’s Nominations and Awards
Per Kirkeby received a number of honours and orders for his artistic oeuvre.
1987 – the Thorvaldsen Medal
1990 – the Prince Eugen Medal
1997 – the Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
2001 – the Ingenio et Arti
Works by Per Kirkeby for Sale at Bruun Rasmussen
More and more collectors are buying Per Kirkeby’s lithographs, 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 Per Kirkeby 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.
