Knud Agger
Encyclopedia
Knud Agger was a self-taught Danish painter
. After a series of paintings from everyday life, he became ever involved in painting his family, home and garden at Helsingør in the north of the island of ZealandZealand. With time, his work took on a visionary and strongly existentialist character.
in Jutland
but moved to Copenhagen
to study architecture at the architecture school of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He returned to his native region in 1928 to paint landscapes of Limfjorden and Venø
. In 1929, he moved to Helsingør where he remained until his death in 1973.
In 1939, he completed three large paintings to be hung in the new state high school at Struer
. One of the paintings shows the town of Struer and its harbour, the two others present scenes from Klovvig on the island of Venø
. After the war, Agger frequently returned to his summerhouse on Venø where he worked on numerous landscapes and sketches until heart problems put an end to his journeys there in 1965.
In his later years, he focused increasingly on using stones he had found on Venø as a basis for his skies. With time, the stones totally dominated his work. One of the paintings earned him the Thorvaldsen Medal
in 1971.
Knud Agger's final work was an 8m tall stained glass window at Abildgård's Church in Frederikshavn
.
Art of Denmark
Danish art goes back thousands of years with significant artifacts from the 2nd millennium BC, such as the Trundholm sun chariot. Art from modern Denmark forms part of the art of the Nordic Bronze Age, and then Norse and Viking art...
. After a series of paintings from everyday life, he became ever involved in painting his family, home and garden at Helsingør in the north of the island of ZealandZealand. With time, his work took on a visionary and strongly existentialist character.
Biography
Knud Agger was originally from HolstebroHolstebro
Holstebro Municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 790 km², and has a total population of 57,020 . Its mayor is H. C...
in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
but moved to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to study architecture at the architecture school of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He returned to his native region in 1928 to paint landscapes of Limfjorden and Venø
Venø
Venø is a small Danish island located in Limfjorden in the north of Jutland, 3 km north of Struer. It is 7.5 km long and has a maximum width of 1.5 km. With an area of 6.5 km2, it has a population of 197 as of 1 January 2010. Since 1958, there has been a ferry service from Venø Odde, the island's...
. In 1929, he moved to Helsingør where he remained until his death in 1973.
In 1939, he completed three large paintings to be hung in the new state high school at Struer
Struer
Struer Municipality is a municipality in Central Denmark Region on the Jutland Peninsula in west Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Venø, and it covers an area of 248 km². It has a total population of 22,672...
. One of the paintings shows the town of Struer and its harbour, the two others present scenes from Klovvig on the island of Venø
Venø
Venø is a small Danish island located in Limfjorden in the north of Jutland, 3 km north of Struer. It is 7.5 km long and has a maximum width of 1.5 km. With an area of 6.5 km2, it has a population of 197 as of 1 January 2010. Since 1958, there has been a ferry service from Venø Odde, the island's...
. After the war, Agger frequently returned to his summerhouse on Venø where he worked on numerous landscapes and sketches until heart problems put an end to his journeys there in 1965.
In his later years, he focused increasingly on using stones he had found on Venø as a basis for his skies. With time, the stones totally dominated his work. One of the paintings earned him the Thorvaldsen Medal
Thorvaldsen Medal
The Thorvaldsen Medal is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest destinction within the visual arts...
in 1971.
Knud Agger's final work was an 8m tall stained glass window at Abildgård's Church in Frederikshavn
Frederikshavn
This article is about a Danish town. For the German town, see Friedrichshafen, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Frederikshavn is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to...
.