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Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen

Michael Kvium2009

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 Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
  • Creator: Michael Kvium
  • Creator Lifespan: 1955
  • Creator Nationality: Danish
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Date: 2009
  • Physical Dimensions: w90 x h110 cm
  • Original Title: Statsminister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (1993 - 2001)
  • Danish Description: Det overraskede mange, at Poul Nyrup Rasmussen valgte Michael Kvium (f. 1955) til at male sit portræt, for Kvium er en maler, som sædvanligvis sætter tingene på spidsen og benytter groteske og stærkt deformerede menneskefigurer til at udtrykke sin eksistentielle og samfundskritiske satire. Stor var lettelsen derfor, da portrættet blev afsløret i 2005. Billedet er et nøgternt, realistisk og meget vellignende portræt af Nyrup. Her har Kvium tydeligvis lagt bånd på sig selv. Statsmanden Nyrup kigger med et tænksomt blik ud på os gennem sine diskrete, næsten usynlige briller. Han ligner sig selv, som vi kender ham fra talrige fotos og tv-udsendelser. Han sidder i en sort, lidt slidt moderne klassisk læderlænestol med sine lange ben over kors, men det virker, som om han hvert øjeblik, det skal være, vil rejse sig op – som en handlingens mand, der ikke kan sidde stille ret længe ad gangen. Stolen og hans ben kaster nogle dramatiske slagskygger, da han sidder i spotlyset afnoget, der ligner en cirkelformet scene – et tv-studie? Denne kompositionsform benyttes ofte af Kvium - ligesom den britiske maler Francis Bacon, som Kvium beundrer. Farverne er - med undtagelse af det iøjnefaldende, røde slips, som henviser til Nyrups partifarve (S) - overvejende i gråtoner. Som en gimmick har Kvium malet en rød og grøn malertube ved fødderne af Nyrup. Det er ”malerens rekvisit”. Sådanne rekvisitter har man kendt i kunsthistorien siden den hollandske renæssance. Herved henviser Kvium dels til selve maleprocessen, dels til Nyrups rød-grønne, politiske profil. Det er et mesterligt portræt.
  • Provenance: © Michael Kvium/billedkunst.dk
  • Type: Oil on canvas
The Danish Parliament

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