Laurits Andersen Ring on the Edge of the World

Here at Bruun Rasmussen, we are proud to co-sponsor the travelling exhibition On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen (L.A.) Ring from SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark. During the autumn of 2019 the exhibition will be in Seattle, Washington, before it heads to Greenwich, Connecticut, in February of next year.

Between Tradition and Modernity

L.A. Ring (1854–1933) is regarded as one of the most important Danish painters active around the year 1900. He was born in a rural area and grew up under humbling circumstances – a childhood and adolescence that served as a source of inspiration throughout his life. Not only did L.A. Ring name himself after his native town of Ring on southern Zealand, he also proudly identified with the poverty he experienced during his early years and made it a pronounced element of his art.

Among L.A. Ring’s favorite subjects is the landscape from the area near his birthplace on southern Zealand – both the barren winter landscape and the emerging spring landscape – and not least empathetic depictions of the region's villagers and farmers. The works of L.A. Ring are often situated between realism and symbolism and between tradition and modernity.
L. A. Ring: Young woman harvesting. Signed and dated L. A. Ring 89. Oil on canvas. 120 x 92 cm. Sold for DKK 400,000 / USD 60,000.

“L. A. Ring was one of the most consistent painters of his time, and he depicted the real world in an objective way as it appeared before him, but his work also contains a second layer with more spiritual themes. The unique aspect about L.A. Ring is that he managed to build a bridge between the two seemingly conflicting art movements – Realism and Symbolism. Take for instance the work “Winter landscape” from 1915, which we sold at auction in 2017. Here the realistic depiction of snowdrifts, the naked, black trees and Roskilde Fjord is shrouded in a disquieting emptiness and silence. This extra layer in his art is perhaps also one of the reasons why his work still feels alluring and relevant today.”

 Julie Arendse Voss

Head of Bruun Rasmussen’s Department of Fine Art

Collaboration Between SMK and Bruun Rasmussen

L.A. Ring has been a popular guest at Bruun Rasmussen’s auctions for a very long time. It was therefore a welcomed opportunity to collaborate with SMK and the American Friends of SMK in an effort to showcase this unique Danish artist to a greater international audience with the travelling exhibition On the Edge of the World. The solo exhibition is the first for the artist outside Scandinavia, and its significance is also highlighted by Mikkel Bogh, Director of SMK:

“SMK is thrilled to present, for the first time ever, a curated selection of the finest works by L.A. Ring at two American museums. … We believe his painting has an appeal to U.S. audiences and that his works, while embedded within specific geographic and historical circumstances, speak to us today in a powerful artistic language that matters more than ever.”

Time and Place for the Exhibitions in the United States:

  • The National Nordic Museum at 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, Washington: September 14, 2019 – January 19, 2020.
  • Bruce Museum at 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, Connecticut: February 1, 2020 - May 24, 2020.
L. A. Ring: Winter landscape. Signed and dated L. A. Ring 1915. Oil on canvas. 24 x 40 cm. Sold for DKK 220,000 / USD 33,000.

Buying L.A. Ring at Auction

If you would like to know when upcoming works by L.A. Ring are up for auction, you can create a search agent at Bruun Rasmussen’s website, which will notify you once the artwork has been made public.
L. A. Ring: Winter day at St. Jørgensbjerg church. Signed and dated L. A. Ring 1925. Oil on canvas. 58 x 79 cm. Sold for DKK 680,000 / USD 100,000.
L. A. Ring: Rooks on the plowed field. Signed and dated L. A. Ring 91. Oil on canvas. 56 x 75 cm. Sold for DKK 140,000 / USD 21,000

For further information, please contact:

Julie Arendse Voss: +45 8818 1123 · jav@bruun-rasmussen.dk

Birte Stokholm: +45 8818 1122 · bst@bruun-rasmussen.dk