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Prime Minister Viggo Kampmann

Mogens Kølkjær1966

The Danish Parliament

The Danish Parliament
Copenhagen K, Denmark

Modern art has gained a firm foothold at Christiansborg in recent years. It is not a matter of chance that artists began to take certain liberties from the 1960s onwards. The invention of TV meant that the public became increasingly familiar with politicians so it was no longer so important to portray them in a realistic manner. At the same time, artists have been experimenting with new forms of expression, and a living state institution and a workplace such as Christiansborg must naturally reflect these developments.
However, most recently, a more discreet and realistic idiom has once again emerged. Parliament's Art Committee now helps politicians to choose portraitists. Nevertheless, it could be asked whether things did not go too far on one occasion when former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Liberal Party) chose the pilot, concept artist and former squatter activist, Simone Aaberg Kærn, to paint his portrait. It is a kitschy, rather ineptly painted picture that makes Fogh Rasmussen look as though he is wearing a mask due to the absence of detail in the depiction of his physiognomy.
Among the most successful portraits of prime ministers from modern times that should be pointed out are Martin Kaalund-Jørgensen’s portrait of Thorvald Stauning, Mogens Kølkjær’s portrait of Viggo Kampmann, Johannes Hofmeister's portrait of J.O. Krag, Niels Strøbek's portrait of Poul Schlüter and Michael Kvium's portrait of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. Author: Lisbeth Bonde, M.A and art critic. Photographer: Torben Eskerod.

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  • Title: Prime Minister Viggo Kampmann
  • Creator: Mogens Kølkjær
  • Creator Lifespan: 1941
  • Creator Nationality: Danish
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Date: 1966
  • Physical Dimensions: w114 x h146 cm
  • Original Title: Statsminister Viggo Kampmann (1960 - 1962)
  • Danish Description: Viggo Kampmann (1910-1972) var socialdemokratisk statsminister i perioden 1960-1962. Portrættet af ham vakte ved afsløringen stor opsigt, da det med sin meget ekspressionistiske, voldsomme og moderne stil helt brød med, hvordan statsministerportrætter tidligere så ud. Det er senere kommet til offentlighedens kendskab, at Kampmann var maniodepresiv, og at der var perioder i hans embedsperiode både som finansminister og som statsminister, hvor embedsværket ikke vidste, hvor han befandt sig. Med den baggrundsviden kan beskueren i dag bedre forstå maleriets vildskab.
  • Provenance: © Mogens Kølkjær/billedkunst.dk
  • Type: Oil on canvas
The Danish Parliament

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