AXEL BENTZEN

(Danish, 1893-1952)

SUMMER STILL LIFE WITH TULIPS

Oil on Canvas

 29½ x 24½ Inches

Initialed Lower Right, "A.B"

 

Axel Bentzen studied painting from an early age and, at the age of 14, was copying Old Master paintings at Copenhagen's National Museum of Art. He traveled to Italy in 1919 and, from 1923-1929, spent every second year there and in Paris painting and furthering his studies of Modernism. He was the recipient of numerous artist scholarships that supported his studies and travels including the prestigious Hielmstierne-Rosencrone scholarship twice (1925, 1927) and the Copenhagen Akademie scholarship three times (1927, 1929, 1931) among others. He was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards and exhibited internationally with success including at the Charlottenburg from 1922, and in Paris, Berlin, Venice, Belgrade and Budapest. He is listed in both Benezit's Dictionary of Artists and Thieme-Becker Lexikon (Vollmer Supplement). We are pleased to offer this lyrical work by Axel Bentzen, painted when the artist was forty years old.

 

Reference:

E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 2, p. 122; Vollmer Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler des 20. Jarhhunderts, Hans Vollmer, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 1, p. 173; et al.

 

Scholarships:

Hielmstierne-Rosencrone 1925, 1927; Raben-Levetzau 1926; Bielke 1926; Carlson's Pr. 1926; Akkadian. 1927, 1929, 1931; Oluf Hartmann 1928, 1930; Eckersberg Med. 1930; Kaufmann 1930; March 1931; Zach. Jacobsen 1932, 1936.

 

Exhibitions:

KE 1922-26; Charles. Spring 1925; The free Exhibition 1927-38 (inc. from 1930); Association of painters, Helsinki, 1928; Funen Spring Exhibition. 1930, 1938; Tour exhibition 1930-36; Newer Painting, Germany 1932; in Venice 1934, 1954; as exhibited in Budapest, Riga, Bucharest and Belgrade 1936-37; Nerd Mässhallen, Gothenburg 1939; Grønningen 1939-47, 1952 (commemorative issue), 1953, (commemorative issue), 1955, 1965; Icelandic, Swedish art, Mässhallen, Gothenburg 1941; Ny Carlsbergfondet Jubilee Charlottenborg and others 1952; That then buying convention, Fr. 1952 (commemorative issue); The Freeman's Memorial Exhibition, Kunstforen, Kbh 1966; Easter 1974, Skive Museum 1974; Modern art owned by Vejle, Vejle Kunstmuseum 1977; Inside, outside, Mouse at Koldinghus 1981.

 

Solo exhibitions:

Anton Hansen, Copenhagen 1917; The free Exhibition building, 1921; Kunstforen, Copenhagen 1937; Jugelsalan, Aarhus 1946-47, 1950; Storstrøm's Kunstmuseum 1953 (commemorative issue); Open Mouse, 1972.

 

Artworks:

Egyptian Woman on Balcony (1920); Self-Portrait (1925, Stat. Museum for Art); The Hospital Garden (1925); The Dreamer (1925, Storstrøm Art Museum); The Blind (1925, Carlsons Pr for 3 last names); Marsk Stig's daughters (1926, Nordjyll Kunstmuseum); Young Italian woman on a chair (Jolanda, 1926); et al.