Female Artists in Focus

Bertha Wegmann (1847–1926) was one of the few female artists who in her time achieved great international success and recognition. She was born in Switzerland, but traveled with her family to Denmark, where she grew up. She received her artistic education in Munich in 1867–81 and subsequently in Paris, where she was influenced by the modern French art. 

Wegmann’s large-scale production included both genre paintings, landscapes, interiors, and still lifes, and she also became one of the most significant and sought-after portrait painters of her time. She both portrayed her family and close friends and painted numerous commissioned portraits.

Wegmann had her debut at Charlottenborg’s Spring Exhibition in 1873 and exhibited here regularly until her death. She also participated in several major exhibitions in the Nordic countries and Europe, including the Salon in Paris, where she won a gold medal in 1882, and the World’s fair in Paris 1889 and Chicago 1893. 

Wegmann worked actively to improve the opportunities of female artists as a member of the board of The School of Drawing and Art Industry for Women (Tegne- og Kunstindustriskolen for Kvinder) in 1887–1907. She was the first woman ever to be elected to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts’ Plenary Assembly. Furthermore she was the first woman to be elected to Charlottenborg’s Exhibition and Censorship Committee.

The Central Women of the 20th Century

When it comes to female artists from the early 20th century, it is hard to overlook Olivia Holm-Møller (1875–1970), who is one of the great Danish painters of the period. She grew up in Norddjurs, Jutland, and travelled to Copenhagen at the age of 25, where she became a student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Professor August Saabye. But when her sister-in-law died in 1914, she returned to Jutland to raise her two nephews and run the household for her brother. This did not stop her from continuing her practice and travelling around Europe to establish herself as an artist. Today, she is known for her expressive and abstract works, as well as her iconic, bold colours.

Also featured at the auction is the surrealist Rita Kernn-Larsen (1904–1998), who at the age of 25 travelled to Paris, where she was admitted to Fernand Léger’s school, the Académie Moderne. She was one of the few of her female peers to experience a level of international recognition, but it is only in recent times that her works have really gained the attention they deserve at exhibitions around the country, including at the “SOLO. Rita Kernn-Larsen” exhibition at Gl. Holtegaard and Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg. At the auction, we have some of the artist's works that depict an imagery between dream and reality.

One of the recurring themes at the auction of fine art is the floral motif, which many female artists worked with in the period. The artist Emma Løffler (1843–1929) was taught floral painting as a student of F.F. Helsted and O.D. Ottesen. She made her début at Charlottenborg’s Spring Exhibition in 1873 and participated here 29 times, where the auction’s painting “Syrener og Guldregn. Solskin” (Lilacs and Laburnum. Sunshine) has also been exhibited. You can also bid on Anthonore Christensen’s (1849–1926) elegant beach rose bush, which, in its more wild-growing form, contrasts with the magnificent, arranged bouquets we see from earlier flower painters.

In the company of a number of other works by female artists, they will be part of the Online Auction of fine art on 13 March. 

Christine Swane (1876–1960) and Ebba Carstensen (1885–1967) are also some of the greatest artists of the period. Having initially adopted the naturalism of the Fynbo painters, Swane later developed her own visual idiom with an emphasis on the surface and discreet colouring. At the auction, you will find a fantastic floral still life in her bright green, blue and yellow universe. Swane’s peer, Ebba Carstensen, studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1913 and was honoured as an artist in her day, as she was awarded the Eckersberg Medal and the Thorvaldsen Medal. Artistically, she moved from impressionism, through cubism before turning towards more naturalistic landscapes. This is shown in the work up for auction of a beautiful forest view from 1953.

These and more works by modern female artists will feature in the Online Auction on 14 March.