My top 10: Enuma Okoro’s selection of works by women in Copenhagen’s Hirschsprung Collection
This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Copenhagen
In the centre of Copenhagen, the small and intimate Hirschsprung museum sits in a pocket of Østre Anlæg Park. Opened in 1911 to house the beautiful collection of Danish-Jewish tobacco manufacturer Heinrich Hirschsprung and his wife Pauline, it covers 100 years of 19th- and early-20th-century Danish art.
Of some 1,000 paintings in the permanent collection, 400 are on view, ranging from Danish Golden Age artworks into early Modernism. During my visit, I admired the quiet, muted works of Vilhelm Hammershøi; the brightly sun-drenched and softer moonlit works of Peder Severin Krøyer; and the decadent, often erotic, scenes of eccentric artist Kristian Zahrtmann. But it’s the work by Danish women artists that I am focused on this time.
Hirschsprung was buying the art of women painters at a time when it wasn’t popular to do so (the first to join the collection, in 1885, was Anna Ancher), and today the museum gives many Danish women artists overdue recognition. It continues to add works by undervalued artists to the collection, and there is currently a wonderful exhibition highlighting the emergence of Danish women artists in the late-19th and early-20th centuries (until January 12). These are my favourite selections from the permanent collection.
1. ‘Resignation. Young Woman at the Breakfast Table’, 1890, by Bertha Wegmann
This self-portrait is one of 17 works in the collection by Bertha Wegmann (1846-1926) — the first woman given a chair at the Royal Danish Academy. A painter of landscapes, flowers and genre and scene pieces, she was also considered one of the most important portrait painters in Denmark in her time. Here, she portrays herself as a young woman reading in the dark of the early morning while still in her nightclothes. I love how she gazes downwards, oblivious to the viewer, unbothered that painting herself in that dress might be considered indecent. The aura of resignation about her lends the painting a certain mystery about what might be occupying her mind and her heart. Unmarried, she was long-term-partnered with the Swedish-born female artist Jeanna Bauck. Room 15
2. ‘A Young Woman. Portrait of the Artist Marie Triepcke’, 1885, by Bertha Wegmann
This portrait of artist Marie Triepcke (see below) — who was mentored by Wegmann and later married famed Skagen Painter Peder Severin Krøyer — has attracted much controversy in recent years. The seemingly innocent portrayal of the young woman dressed in a modest but fanciful lace-trimmed white dress has been read by some critics as a subversive portrayal of female sensuality and eroticism. For some, the hand in her lap, holding the blood-red tip of her sash, is an intentional representation of a vulva. I love the aura of mystery about it. It’s also, to date, the most expensive painting by a Danish woman artist ever sold at auction. Room 15
3. ‘Sunshine in the Blind Woman’s Room’, 1885, by Anna Ancher
Anna Ancher’s stunning ability to fill a dark and shadowy canvas with the dance and play of natural light is demonstrated in this piece, hanging in the room dedicated to the Skagen Painters. Considered the one Danish woman artist whose talent was duly recognised in her lifetime (1859-1935), here she depicts an old blind woman seated at a table by an open window, the radiant glow of sunlight reflected on the wall. She is, of course, oblivious to the visual play of light but perhaps can feel its warmth on her face. There is a poignant and beautiful juxtaposition that invites one to stop and consider the gift of our senses and the different worlds we each inhabit. Room 11
4. ‘The Maid in the Kitchen’, 1883-86, by Anna Ancher
This piece, viewed alongside the above-mentioned work, is stirring. Here, Ancher has painted a young woman working in the kitchen in front of another sun-filled window, but the sun is kept at bay by a drawn curtain. It makes me muse upon the solitude or loneliness that each woman possesses, recognising how it might sway between the two states of being. Room 11
5. ‘A Woman at the Loom’, c1890s, by Marie Triepcke Krøyer
This is the only oil painting in the permanent collection by Marie Triepcke Krøyer (1867-1940), who was part of the Danish art scene in the 1880s but known primarily as the muse of her painter husband, Peder Severin Krøyer. She was, however, a versatile artist whose paintings include landscapes, still lifes and interior scenes, as well as a talented craftswoman and interior designer. “A Woman at the Loom” speaks to these overlapping interests. We see the back of a solitary woman at work weaving cloth, while we watch idly. I appreciate the solitary nature of the subject. Room 11
6. ‘An Evening with a Friend. By Lamplight’, 1891, by Anna Sophie Petersen
This large canvas by Anna Sophie Petersen (1845-1910) seems to emblematise the supportive camaraderie of Scandinavian women artists of the 19th century. It shows a group of female artists gathered in the painter’s flat: the Danish musician Frida Scotta plays violin; Marie Krøyer holds a glass of wine; the couple on the couch is Bertha Wegmann and Jeanne Bauck. The walls are covered with the artist’s paintings, and the room is dimly lit by lamps and candles. You can feel the warmth emanating. It is a sanctuary for these creative women to muse, rest, discuss and simply be. Room 10
7. ‘A Child in a Flowering Meadow’, 1893, by Emilie Mundt
Emilie Mundt (1842-1922) was a fierce supporter of other women artists. When she couldn’t join the Royal Danish Academy, she and her life-long partner, Marie Luplau (another Danish woman artist with work in the Hirschsprung Collection), started their own drawing and painting school for women. I chose this work because I love its expanse and seeming simplicity. The lone child kneeling in the meadow is lost in their own little world. It invites us to find our own little spot to dream a bit. Room 10
8. ‘Daisies and Campanula in a Vase’, 1889, by Augusta Dohlmann
Who doesn’t on occasion rush past a still life — especially when it’s of flowers or fruit? We assume we already know these subjects because they are so commonplace, yet this work by Augusta Dohlmann (1847-1914) — regarded in her lifetime as one of the best painters of flowers — makes me look again at the familiar. It’s a beautiful reminder that life is vibrant and teeming with its own wildness; it moves me to consider when in our own life cycle we might feel wildly alive. Room 10
9. ‘Italian Woman with a Guitar’, 1878, by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann
This vibrant portrait is an interesting addition to the collection. Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann (1819-81) was born to German parents in Poland but while travelling through Europe she met, and later married, the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau. It was refreshing to come across this image of a dark-skinned woman, colourfully clad, among the other more traditional paintings. Even though it suggests a romanticised, northern European view of a southern culture — a common portrayal in art history in general — I’m drawn to how the female figure exudes a sense of presence. She seems to have a sense of self regard that can’t be troubled. Room 3
10. ‘A View from Paganis Villa on Capri’, 1854, by Hermania Neergaard
A Danish artist of flowers and still lifes, Hermania Neergaard (1799-1875) could boast that her paintings were collected by two Danish kings, Christian VIII and Frederick VII. She also exhibited many times at the annual Charlottenburg Spring Exhibitions in Copenhagen. This small painting of a balcony, overlooking the terracotta-roofed and cream-washed buildings of Capri, is serene and almost nostalgic. A black robe or blanket is draped loosely over the back of the chair as if someone has just got up to go inside. It gives the painting a feeling of possibility, like someone could return through the green veranda doors at any moment. Perhaps even the viewer. Room 2
Women Visualising the Modern: Danish Art 1880-1910, until January 12 2025. The Hirschsprung Collection, Stockholmsgade 20, 2100 Copenhagen, open Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm. Website; Directions
Which of these paintings do you like the best, and why? Tell us in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
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