A still life made of layers of earth: Denmark’s Per Kirkeby demonstrated a deep interest in nature and its conditions when he was studying geology at the University of Copenhagen. Expeditions to Greenland were particularly formative for him and eventually he transferred his fascination for layers of geology into the layers of colour in his painting, as in Nature Morte I. He draws a connection between connects the use of natural motifs from nature in his painting with psychological states and experiences that he gathered on his expeditions and forays into nature. The work Nature Morte I is part of a five-part still life series.
In 1978, Kirkeby moved from Denmark to Germany. His longstanding professorships at the Academy in Karlsruhe and the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main firmly anchor him in the German art scene.
Per Kirkeby (1938–2018)
Nature Morte I, 1987
Currently exhibited: No
Material: Oil on canvas
Size: 200 x 110 cm
Inv-Nr.: B_372
Image rights: Standard Copyright Terms
Keywords:
Previous owner: Mary Boone Gallery, New York, until 1989; The Steven & Ann Ames Collection, Los Angeles, and New York, 1989
Acquisition: Reinhard Ernst Collection, Sotheby´s, New York, 2016
Solo exhibitions:
1988
‘Per Kirkeby’, Mary Boone Gallerie, New York, USA
1987
‘Per Kirkeby. Gemälde, Handzeichnungen, Skulpturen’, Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Group exhibition:
1989
‘Carnegie International’, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Denmark’s Per Kirkeby demonstrated a deep interest in nature and its conditions when he was studying for his doctorate in geology at the University of Copenhagen. He used geological expeditions to train himself to study nature and eventually translate these experiences and observations into the medium of painting. He continued to apply this approach to his work as an artist. He transferred the complexity of layers of geology into the layers of colour in his painting, as in Nature Morte I. However, he is convinced there is no such thing as purely abstract painting since ‘everything you see […] is linked to some feeling or condition or memory’ [1]. Kirkeby gathered ideas for paintings on his forays through the forest. The used his choice of colour tones to transcribe the feelings from a particular moment into the painting. The five-part series Nature Morte from 1987 – to which the work in the Reinhard Ernst Collection belongs – marks the high point in the development of his still lifes.
Kirkeby joined the artists’ group Den Eksperimenterende Kunstskole in Copenhagen in 1962. He was not only active as a painter but also involved in sculpture, performance, film, graphics and even architecture. In 1978, Kirkeby moved from Denmark to Germany. His longstanding professorships at the Academy in Karlsruhe and the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main firmly anchor him in the German art scene.
[1] Interview with Per Kirkeby, in: Between the Layers – Per Kirkeby. Portrait of the Artist, 1990, written and directed by Rainer Ostendorf, produced by WDR, last broadcast: 3sat 1.9.2013, here 2:30–2:42 min.
