Immanuel Ibsen - The Nivaagaard Collection

Out of the shadows

September sees the opening of the largest ever exhibition of the work of the Danish painter Immanuel Ibsen (1887-1944) – and the first in 25 years. Quiet turmoil characterised Ibsen’s personality and paintings, and no less so the era in which he lived. In the 1930s he painted his immediate surroundings: still lifes on the table and views from the window. Contrasts, asymmetry and smouldering experimentation with colour characterise these works. In 1943, Ibsen fled to Sweden with his Jewish wife and died there in 1944.

The exhibition offers new artistic angles on Immanuel Ibsen’s oeuvre, together with works by members of Ibsen’s family, which the public have never before had the chance to see. Several hundred letters, the property of Ibsen’s grandchildren, shed new light on Ibsen’s life and thoughts.