Michael Kvium (b. Horsens 1955)

Michael Kvium (b. Horsens 1955)

Untitled. Signed Kvium 97. Watercolour on paper. Sheet size 24.5×21.5 cm.

The Danish artist Michael Kvium (b. 1955) lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Michael Kvium made his breakthrough during the 1980s with a painting that, to a greater extent than other contemporary artists, was characterized by narrative, literary motifs. The Spanish Baroque painters such as Goya, El Greco and Velazquez were early sources of inspiration in his art, moving in a field between performance, theater, and painting. His works can often be read in the light of the collapse of systems in the 80s, which, with its loss of meaning and coherence as a result, allows science to emerge as a possible explanatory model at the expense of religious narratives. In Kvium's works, the viewer is confronted with a worldview that gives rise to a paradoxical mood of a horror and fascination with the ugly. But the fear of emptiness and the absence of meaning simultaneously forms the basis of a redemption in the experience of his works.

Provenance: Galleri Faurschou, Copenhagen.

Condition: Examined in frame. Original condition.

The work is part of a charity auction to benefit “Børns Vilkår” (Children's Rights Denmark). The auction is initiated and curated by “Curated by Jens-Peter Brask”. The artists have generously donated their works. Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers do not charge fees or commission so the total proceeds will go undiminished to Børns Vilkår's important work.

Category: Modern Paintings ▸ Contemporary