Islandsk Portrait
| Artist | Carl-Henning Pedersen (Danish, 1913–1993) |
|---|---|
| Title | Islandsk Portrait |
| Date | 1950 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | Overall: 45 3/4 x 39 1/8 in. (116.2 x 99.4 cm) Framed: 47 1/8 × 40 3/8 × 1 3/4 in. (119.7 × 102.6 × 4.4 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Mr. and Mrs. G. David Thompson, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 62.142 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A stylized portrait head with exaggerated eyes. The portrait is rendered with heavy brushstrokes in pale colors, predominantly white, yellow, blue, and red.
Inspired by the works of the German Expressionists, which the Nazi regime denounced as “degenerate,” Pedersen began painting in an expressionistic style during World War II. While Denmark was under German occupation, he also contributed to the subversive journal Helhesten, which published articles on officially unacceptable art forms, including modernism and non-western art. From 1948 to 1951 he was a member of the avant-garde CoBrA group, comprised of artists from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Although the group called for a new art relevant to postwar Europe, they in fact followed in the footsteps of their avant-garde predecessors in the early twentieth century, cultivating styles inspired by expressionism, folk art, and children’s art.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Islandsk Portrait | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=62.142