Famous Danish Artists

Olafur Eliasson is an Icelandic-Danish artist. He is famous for his sculptured and large-scale installation art. He established Studio Olafur Eliasson in Berlin in 1995 and co-founded Studio Other Spaces in 2014. He represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003. He was a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts for many years. 

Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish sculptor and medallist. He was internationally famous and spent most of his life in Italy. He received his training at the Royal Danish Academy of Art and initially worked with his father, a woodcarver. He went on to become a famous sculptor and worked in a heroic neo-classicist style. He received many awards. 

Vilhelm Hammershøi was a Danish painter best known for his poetic and subdued portraits. He studied painting with prominent landscape painters Vilhelm Kyhn and Frederik Vermehren at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He then debuted in the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1885 and proceeded to build an illustrious career in art. His wife, Ida, was his muse.

Asger Jorn was a Danish painter, sculptor, and ceramic artist. The son of two teachers, he was also expected to become one. He enrolled in the Vinthers Seminarium, a teacher-training college, due to family pressure and later chose to become a painter. He produced over 2,500 paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, and sculptures in his artistic career.  

Anna Ancher was a Danish artist whose paintings depicted the everyday lives of fishermen, children, and women. Widely regarded as one of the greatest visual artists of Denmark, Anna Ancher was honored with several awards, such as the Ingenio et Arti medal and Tagea Brandt Rejselegat. She was also depicted on the DKK1000 banknote.

Michael Ancher was a Danish realist artist best remembered for his portrayal of fishermen, lakes, and scenes from the fishing community in Skagen. In 1889, he was honored with the prestigious Eckersberg Medal. Today, many of Michael Ancher's paintings are preserved at the National Gallery of Denmark, Skagens Museum, and Ribe Art Museum.

Paul Gustav Fischer was a Danish painter best remembered for his depiction of popular cities like Copenhagen. Although his paintings were not critically acclaimed during his lifetime, Fischer's art sold well and he exhibited his artworks frequently.

Nicolai Abildgaard was a Danish neoclassical sculptor, history painter, and architect. He also served as a professor of anatomy, mythology, and painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Abildgaard also served as a royal history painter and was commissioned by the Danish government to produce large monumental pieces to decorate the Knights' Room at Christiansborg Palace. 

Danh Vo is a Danish contemporary artist who lives and works in Mexico City and Berlin. In 2012, he was honored with the prestigious Hugo Boss Prize. His works are often displayed in places like the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Richard Mortensen was a Danish painter. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen and was heavily influenced by the works of the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky. He created works that reflected the violence of Europe during the Second World War. He later became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Art.

Pia Arke was a Danish visual artist, photographer, and writer. She is best remembered for creating her own life-size camera obscura which she used to photograph the landscapes of Greenland. Pia Arke is often counted among the most prominent postcolonial critics of the Nordic region.