Hammershøi in the Nick of Time
The work, a landscape from Dunkebakke in North Zealand, was supposed to be part of our major preview in Copenhagen. Due to COVID-19, however, the transportation of the painting from New York to Denmark was delayed and it was uncertain whether or not the work would arrive on time. Monday morning, however, the painting landed safely in the saleroom of the auction house, and it is now ready to be auctioned off on Tuesday 9 June.
Watch the painting arrive at the auction house early Monday.
"Throughout his life, Vilhelm Hammershøi painted landscapes, and these types of motifs make up a large and significant part of his oeuvre. We are therefore very pleased that the work has arrived in time and that we can provide an insight into this part of his art at our auction."
Julie Arendse Voss, Head of the Department of Fine Art at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers.
The painting is dated to 1904 and is valued at a price of DKK 1.5-2 million. It comes from the Danish barrister Peter Olufsen, who was married to Kamma Sophie Ilsted – daughter of Vilhelm Hammershøi's close friend and brother-in-law, the painter Peter Ilsted.
Hammershøi's Danish Landscapes
In Vilhelm Hammershøi's time, interiors were by far the most popular and sought-after genre of paintings, and today his name is inextricably tied to his simple, grey and poetic interiors. In 2019, Bruun Rasmussen sold one of Hammershøi’s interiors for a hammer price of DKK 31.5 million. This made the painting the most expensive Danish work ever sold in Europe.
However, the landscape motifs also make up an important part of Hammershøi's lifework. They were often painted on his and his wife Ida's summer holidays around Denmark, which is also the case with the offered motif from Dunkebakke. In the summer of 1904, the couple lived in a small house in Arresødal near Frederiksværk on North Zealand, and here Hammershøi created a number of depictions of the Danish landscape around him.
Additional Works by Hammershøi and Others
At the auction, Bruun Rasmussen can present a wide selection of fine art – including another work by Hammershøi, valued at DKK 300,000-500,000. The work is a study of two candles on a table and is certified to Ida Hammershøi.
For further information, please contact:
Julie Arendse Voss: +45 8818 1123 · jav@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Birte Stokholm: +45 8818 1122 · bst@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Søren Kjerk Holmstrup: +45 8818 1127 · skh@bruun-rasmussen.dk