Franz Gertsch, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
The Franz Gertsch exhibition was a breathtaking homage to the Swiss artist’s photorealistic mastery. Known for his monumental portraits and meticulous nature scenes, Gertsch captures life’s smallest details on a grand scale, creating a meditative viewing experience. His works, especially the larger-than-life woodcuts, seem to pulse with an almost hypnotic realism challenging the boundary between painting, drawing, and photography. The exhibition beautifully showcased Gertsch’s deep engagement with light, texture, and time, inviting viewers to linger and reflect. For fans of hyperrealism, landscape, and intimate portraiture, this exhibition was an unmissable tribute to Gertsch’s legacy.
New Acquisitions and Donations 2016-2024, Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Holstebro
The exhibition presented a dynamic survey of the museum’s recent growth, celebrating contemporary and historical works that expand its diverse collection. Collecting artists in depth and spanning a variety of mediums, from painting to sculpture and installation, the exhibition reflected Holstebro’s commitment to artistic innovation and cultural heritage. Highlights included striking works such as Amalie Smith’s LOOMING: Bugs & Interfaces (2022) and works by Emil Westman Hertz and Lawrence Weiner. Thoughtfully curated, the exhibition captured the evolving identity of the collection and its role within Danish art history.
Toril Johannessen, Deterrence and Reassurance, and Åsa Elzén, Notes on a Fallow – The Fogelstad Group and Earth, both at Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen
Toril Johannessen’s inspiring and complex exhibition probed scientific and military histories through intricate screen-printed maps exploring dualities of protection and control. The exhibition involved textile carpets made from military surplus that the audience could walk on. The current exhibition, Åsa Elzén’s beautifully poetic Notes on a Fallow – The Fogelstad Group and Earth also has a carpet at its centre and is inspired by the Swedish feminist Fogelstad Group. It interweaves archival material with organic elements connecting feminist history to land stewardship and regeneration. Both exhibitions offer a dialogue on the human relationship with earth and power, juxtaposing intimate ecological reflection with broader existential inquiry.
– Eamon O’Kane is an artist living in Odense, Denmark. Since 2011 he has been professor of Visual Art, Painting and Drawing, The Art Academy, University of Bergen. He is currently guest professor at the School of Painting and Pictorial Practices, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
For this year’s contributions to the Advent Calendar, see here
