In recognition of the 150th anniversary of Impressionism and the important contributions made by the art colony that flourished in Skagen, Denmark to this groundbreaking movement, the Bruce presents “The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark” featuring remarkable and rarely exhibited works from the private collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr., on view from November 16, 2024-June 15, 2025.
L.A. Ring (Danish, 1854–1933) “Harvest,” 1886 Pastel, 24 ½ x 18 ¾ in. Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr.
In April 1874, a group of French artists staged an exhibition separately from the official Salon in Paris and began a radical new movement that came to be known as Impressionism. In July of the same year, the Danish painter Karl Madsen (1855–1938) persuaded his friend from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Michael Ancher (1849–1927), to join him in Skagen to paint the life of the remote fishing village. As with the exhibition in Paris, Ancher’s arrival there marked the beginning of an artistic revolution that would upend the academic realism and traditional styles, subjects and locales that defined Danish Golden Age art.
P.S. Krøyer (Danish, 1851–1909) “Self-Portrait, Sitting by his Easel at Skagen Beach,” 1902 Oil on panel, 21 ¼ x 17 ¾ in. Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr.
Inspired by growing discourses of nationalism and naturalism, Danish artists turned to scenes of everyday life, and especially of labor, with local men, women and children featuring prominently in their work. Indeed, as Skagen developed into a thriving art colony in the late 19th century, labor had become a defining feature of Danish painting, paving the way for other artists — including Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864–1916) and L.A. Ring (1854–1933) — to contemplate the art of work and the work of art.
Anna Ancher (Danish, 1859–1935) “Young Girl Reading a Letter,” n.d. Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in. Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr.
Organized thematically, “The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark” features a selection of 28 works from the collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. that illuminate the virtue and beauty of labor, whether domestic, intellectual or manual. Women engaged in child rearing and ordinary household tasks — such as laundering, setting the table or mending clothes — reflect the quiet intimacy of domestic work. Agricultural and maritime labor, which predominated in the coastal towns where many Danish artists lived and worked, also appear frequently in these paintings, which serve as testaments to the strength, endurance and respectability of local farmers, fishermen and their families. Other pictures capture the mental exertion required for piano playing, reading, writing and painting, positioning artistic creativity as its own valued form of labor. While the portraits, landscapes and interiors on view highlight the dynamism of work as a subject in 19th-century Danish art, they also stand as potent reminders of the artistic labor inherent to their making.
“We are honored to have Ambassador Loeb’s collection on view at the Bruce for the first time since 2005,” notes Margarita Karasoulas, curator of art. “After serving as the ambassador to Denmark from 1981 to 1983, he amassed the largest — and certainly one of the most distinctive — collections of Danish art outside of Denmark and Scandinavia. This timely exhibition happens to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris, and it explores a salient theme — labor and representations of work — in the oeuvres of Danish painters. Many of these artists participated in the Skagen artists’ colony, which has an interesting parallel to the Cos Cob artists’ colony in Greenwich and the Bruce Museum’s own collection of Impressionist landscapes, which will also be on view this fall in an adjacent gallery.”
“I am thrilled to work with the Bruce Museum to mount this wonderful exhibition of work from my collection,” says Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. “One of my longtime goals has been to raise the profile of Danish art both abroad and especially here in the United States. I hope this exhibition will introduce visitors to the unique subjects and modes of painting that originated in Denmark in the long 19th century.”
“The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark” will be on view Nov. 16, 2024-June 15, 2025. The exhibition is organized by the Bruce Museum and curated by Margarita Karasoulas, curator of art, and Jordan Hillman, curatorial associate. Support for “The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark” is generously provided by Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Humanities and the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund.
For more information, visit brucemuseum.org.