Michael Ancher began his artistic career at Christian Vilhelm Nielsen’s drawing school, and in 1871 he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. In 1874, when Michael Ancher was 25, he travelled together with the artist and art critic Karl Madsen to Skagen for the first time, where, like the other artists, he was captivated by the light, nature and local population. At Skagen, he met his future wife and fellow artist, Anna Ancher (née Brøndum). Together they settled in Skagen and became the community’s most faithful Skagen painters. Later on, the couple had a daughter, Helga Ancher, who would also turn out to be a skilled painter.

The more traditional, academic style is represented in one of his early major works “Will He Round the Point” from 1880, and in “A Stroll on the Beach” from 1896 (both at the Art Museums of Skagen) the clear inspiration from Peder Severin Krøyer can be seen with five women strolling along the beach in their long white dresses. Later, Michael Ancher was also inspired by his wife Anna Ancher’s fine depictions of light and colour. In 2018, Michael Ancher’s artwork was highlighted in public with the exhibition “Michael Ancher and the Women from Skagen” at the Art Museums of Skagen, and in 2023-2024 Ordrupgaard will exhibit “Anna og Michael Ancher – Sammen og hver for sig” (Anna and Michael Ancher – together and apart).