Johannes Wilhjelm (Danish painter) 1868 - 1938
Johannes Wilhjelm was raised in the countryside in southern Denmark. At the age of 22 he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Later, he attended the alternative academy, Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, where he trained under Peder Severin Krøyer and Kristian Zahrtmann. Wilhjelm first came to Skagen in 1909 on the occasion of Krøyer’s funeral. He began painting in Skagen the following year and was part of the local community of artists until his death. In Skagen, he first rented a house close to painter Laurits Tuxen in Skagen Vesterby. In 1916, he bought a cottage in Skagen Østerby and had it fitted with a studio. Wilhjelm left a large body of work, which is dispersed in private collections and museum collections in Denmark and abroad. In the exhibition, we encounter both early and late works by the artist with the objective of reinstating Wilhjelm in Danish art history and add new perspectives to his oeuvre and his time. The exhibition will include artworks from his repeated stays in Italy, from the moors and dunes near Svinkløv on the Jutlandic West Coast, from his time in Skagen, scenes with his family and children, and from Norway and the south of France.
