Alfred Simonsen (16 December 1906 – 12 April 1935) was a Danish painter who in the early 1930s became associated with the

artists' colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission- ...

in northwestern

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

known as the

Odsherred Painters Odsherred Painters () is a term applied to Danish artists from various periods with connections to Odsherred in the northwest of Zealand, Denmark. Some were born there while others settled in the area or painted there. While the term includes pain ...

. When he died at the early age of 27, he had only completed about 30 paintings and a few sketches.

Biography

The son of a gardener, Simonsen was born in Kølstrup, a little village near

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,128 (1 January 2025).

on the Danish island of

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

. He was given painting lessons by an Odense theatre painter from about 1920. From 1926 to 1932, he studied painting at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

under

Ejnar Nielsen Ejnar Nielsen (9 July 1872 – 21 July 1956) was a Danish painter and illustrator, who was a central proponent of Symbolist painting in Danish art. He is also known for his large mosaic on Stærekassen, an extension to the Royal Danish Theat ...

and Aksel Jørgensen. While there, he developed a friendship with Erik Raadal and

Karl Bovin Karl (Kalle) Christian Bovin (1907–1985) was a Danish painter whose work focused on landscapes of Odsherred, a region in the north-west of Zealand. In the 1930s, he became a central member in the Odsherred Painters artists' colony and helpe ...

. His association with

Ernst Syberg Ernst Axel Syberg (12 January 1906 – 17 August 1981) was a Danish painter who in the early 1930s associated with the artists' colony in northwestern Zealand known as the Odsherred Painters. From 1934, he was a member of Corner painters, Corner wh ...

also brought him into contact with the

Funen Painters The Funen Painters or ''Fynboerne'' were a loose group of Danish artists who formed an art colony on the island of Funen at the very beginning of the 20th century. They were strongly influenced by Kristian Zahrtmann who taught at the Artists Stu ...

, encouraging to paint scenes of the Funen countryside, especially around

Korup Korup is an ethnic group of forest people located in Southwest Province of Cameroon and in the adjacent Cross River State of Nigeria. There are currently four Korup villages in the Cameroonian side: Erat (a.k.a. Ekon II), Ekon I, Ikondokondo (also ...

and Svanninge. His paintings also show strong resemblances with those of the

, especially the dark colouring and the elevated horizon. His later works are rather brighter with bolder colour combinations. Simonsen died when very young, leaving only about 30 paintings and a few sketches.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonsen, Alfred 1906 births 1935 deaths 20th-century Danish painters People from Kerteminde