Literature: Preben Wilmann & Marianne Brøns: “Lundstrøm”, Copenhagen 1977, no. 266. Provenance: Architects Eva Koppel (1916–2006) and Nils Koppel (1914–2009), Gentofte, Denmark. Acquired by Nils Koppel directly from Vilhelm Lundstrøm and not since exhibited or offered for sale. Thence by descent in the family.

"One paints, after all, to understand the meaning of existence more and more.” (Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Social-Demokraten, 1930)

Vilhelm Lundstrøm is regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Danish art. As a young painter, he was seen as a rebel — provoking both scandal and fascination when he introduced Cubism to a Danish audience unprepared for its bold modernity. His so-called “packing box paintings” caused a stir, but it wasn’t long before the same public he had unsettled came to embrace him. By the 1930s, Lundstrøm's works had become coveted among leading architects, designers, and discerning collectors.

Behind the serene balance of his still lifes and figure lies an insistence on artistic experimentation. His work demands something particular – a certain sensibility and will – from both the creator and the viewer. From the late 1930s, a notable shift occurs: from form to colour. Shadows retreat from the canvas, the palette expands, and colour begins to shape the spatial composition. The deep blue background remains a defining element, but is now challenged by complementary and tertiary contrasts: flaming orange, violet and lavender, olive and moss green, forest tones, dark caramel, and reddish brown.

“There is, in painting, an attempt to bring colour, form and composition into a higher unity,” Lundstrøm explains in an interview, where he also describes art as “to be able to do something one cannot – not yet, at least… one is on the way. Art is something living, something that can never stand still.” His strict geometric idiom gradually softens, settling somewhere between recognition and abstraction. Certain elements – the bowl, the pitcher, the carafe – return with renewed presence, now joined by cylinders and smaller containers: tins, mugs, jars. Composed with rigour but executed with a painter’s intuition, these objects become both symbols and structures.

Today, Lundstrøm’s works remain highly sought-after, celebrated for their timeless and uncompromising vision, and his finest paintings from this pivotal period are increasingly rare on the market.

“Still Life” is undeniably a work of exceptional calibre and scale – with a remarkable provenance from architects Eva and Nils Koppel, who acquired it directly from Vilhelm Lundstrøm.