Per Kirkeby (1938-2018) - Untitled

An expressive early work on paper by internationally acclaimed Danish artist Per Kirkeby, one of Scandinavia’s most influential postwar painters.

Created in 1970–1971, the work dates from an important formative period in Kirkeby’s career, when he was developing his distinctive artistic language, combining abstraction, expressive mark-making, and an enduring fascination with natural structures and geological formations.

Originally trained as a geologist, Kirkeby brought a unique understanding of landscape, natural processes, and material transformation to his artistic practice. His works frequently explore the relationship between nature and abstraction, drawing on influences from Abstract Expressionism and European modernism.

Kirkeby achieved widespread international recognition, representing Denmark at the Venice Biennale and exhibiting at major institutions including Tate Modern, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

This original watercolour offers an engaging example of Kirkeby’s early artistic exploration and an opportunity to acquire a work from a significant period in the development of one of Denmark’s most celebrated artists.

Provenance: Acquired at auction at Auktionshaus Am Grunewald, september 2024.