Painting Tranquility: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi from SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark presents a wide selection of masterpieces by celebrated Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). Drawn from the extensive collection of SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, the exhibition features a selection of paintings from across Hammershøi’s body of work, including several of the quiet home interiors for which he earned the title “de stillestuers maler” (the painter of tranquil rooms). Painting Tranquility is the first exhibition in New York exclusively dedicated to Hammershøi’s work in over 15 years.
Hammershøi’s exquisite artworks have long captivated scholars and critics and his international popularity has grown rapidly in recent years. Curated by Kasper Monrad, Painting Tranquility features paintings representative of Hammershøi’s four main genres—reduced landscapes, unpopulated urban cityscapes, portraits, and spare, sunlight-infused interiors—offering an intimate look into his life and enigmatic artwork.
Painting Tranquility: Masterworks by Vilhelm Hammershøi from SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark is curated by Kasper Monrad, Chief Curator, SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark, and organized by SMK.
Situated in the heart of Copenhagen, SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark is the country’s largest art museum, and displays international artwork from the early Renaissance through to the present. The extensive SMK collections originate from the holdings of the 17th- and 18th-century Danish kings, particularly those of King Frederik V who, in the 1760s, established a large collection of Old Masters which he housed at Christiansborg Castle.
Since the opening of the Royal Picture Gallery to the public in 1827, SMK has had an obligation to collect contemporary Danish art, and, thus, several Hammershøi paintings were acquired directly from the artist.
Christiansborg Castle burned in 1884, but nearly all of the paintings were miraculously saved. The surviving collections became the founding collection of SMK. SMK now presents between six to eight special exhibitions a year, always based on new research. For more information: smk.dk