Michael Otto Albert Kvium (born 15 November 1955) is a Danish artist. He has excelled in a number of fields such as painting, illustrating, sculpting and various performance genres. Since the early 1980s, he has created grotesque realistic works, depicting the darker side of life.

Biography

Born in

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...

in the east of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

, Kvium 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 Albert Mertz and Stig Brøgger. His paintings and graphic works often resemble comic strip art or extensions of 17th-century Baroque paintings. They depict the more negative aspects of Western culture. Motifs include grotesque monsters, half man half woman, sometimes approaching self-portraits. In 1981, together with Erik A. Frandsen and Christian Lemmerz, he was one of the cofounders of Værkstedet Værst, a collaborative workshop for performance art. From the 1980s, his works include virus-like shapes as part of the growth cycles. Works from the 1990s also include bandaged figures depicting paralysis and claustrophobia as can be seen in ''Kor'' (1991). Solo exhibitions at ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum (2006) and

Ordrupgaard Ordrupgaard is a state-owned art museum situated near Jægersborg Dyrehave, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The museum houses one of Northern Europe's most important collections of Danish art, Danish and French art from the 19th and beginning of th ...

(2007) have included large works evoking relationships with the landscape and nature. His works also include videos, comic strips and performances. He has created stage sets in collaboration with Katrine Wiedemann. Together with Christian Lemmerz, in 2000 he created an eight-hour-long silent film titled ''The Wake'' inspired by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

's ''

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It was published in instalments starting in 1924, under the title "fragments from ''Work in Progress''". The final title was only revealed when the book was publishe ...

''. Kvium's works are included in the collections of many of Denmark's museums and galleries.

Awards

In 2001, Kvium was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

. In 2010, he was decorated with the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

References

Literature

* *''Michael Kvium: Fools'' / edited by Erlend Høyersten. - Aarhus, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, 2014. *''Saligia: Michael Kvium'' / edited by AnnCatrin Gummesson. - Helsingborg, Dunkers Kulturhus, 2015. *''Michael Kvium: Think Bigger'' / edited by Vera Westergaard ... t al. - Kolding, Trapholt, 2017. *''Circus Europa: Michael Kvium'' / edited by Camilla Jalving ... t al. - Ishøj, Arken, 2017.

External links

Illustrated portrait of Michael Kvium by Lisbeth Bonde (in Danish)Michael Kvium's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvium, Michael 1955 births Living people People from Horsens Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 20th-century Danish painters 21st-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish illustrators 21st-century Danish illustrators Danish sculptors Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Danish male sculptors 20th-century Danish male artists Danish male painters Neo-expressionist artists