Avslutad
Hippopotamus with young, 1973. Signed Scherfig 73. Tempera on masonite. 23×45 cm.
Hans Scherfig
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Klubbat pris
256 658SEK
175 000 DKK i originalvaluta · Klubbat pris — auktionshuset publicerar ingen budhistorik.
Hans Scherfig
·
175 000 DKK i originalvaluta · Klubbat pris — auktionshuset publicerar ingen budhistorik.
Hippopotamus with young, 1973. Signed Scherfig 73. Tempera on masonite. 23×45 cm. Vivid portrayals of elephants, hippopotamuses, and flamingos unfolding across vast landscapes - Hans Scherfig’s iconic motifs speak to a deep and enduring longing for innocence. For many years, we have witnessed a remarkable demand for Scherfig’s art: works whose atmosphere and visual language evoke, if not a universal desire, then certainly a widespread yearning for the unspoiled and harmonious. Perhaps especially in a world where war and conflict dominate the headlines, where biodiversity and sustainability are under increasing pressure, and where ideas such as humanity and coexistence seem almost as endangered as the animals inhabiting Scherfig’s imagined worlds. Scherfig made his debut as a self-taught artist in 1928. Before that, he studied zoology at the University of Copenhagen - a background clearly reflected in his work. Though highly stylized, his paintings reveal the zoologist’s attentive eye for the distinctive traits and personalities of animals. Lions, giraffes, monkeys, and tapirs are rendered with both care and dignity, artistically as well as symbolically, set against either the lush green abundance of the jungle or the barren sands of the desert. At first glance, Scherfig’s oeuvre appears divided between two worlds: on one side, the socially engaged, satirical, and politically critical authorship; on the other, the serene pictorial visions of jungles and savannahs that Scherfig himself never visited - except in imagination. Yet beneath the surface, a serpent often hides in paradise. Cracks appear within the idyll, revealing traces of civilizational critique and human unease. On the occasion of the centenary of Scherfig’s birth, art historian Hanne Abildgaard wrote: “I believe he operates with both sides throughout his entire body of work: he criticizes, yet simultaneously proposes alternatives to the world he criticizes. The two belong together. As a modernist, he depicts the metropolis and the fragmented modern condition, creating collages and incorporating children’s drawings, satire, and popular imagery into art long before Heerup and Jorn. The jungle, then, becomes the world that has not fallen apart — and it speaks directly to people because of its tactile beauty. One feels compelled to stroke the lion’s plush cheeks and step into the foliage (…)” For precisely these reasons, Scherfig’s works feel more relevant today than perhaps ever before — and for precisely these reasons, he remains an artist whose vision is still worth celebrating. We are therefore delighted to present, in this auction, a broad selection from Scherfig’s beloved universe of motifs. No fewer than fourteen works are offered, including both prints and paintings, ranging from the early Bathing Girls of 1936 to works created shortly before the artist’s death in 1979. This lot is subject to Artist's Royalty . Artist’s Royalty In accordance with Danish copyright law, an additional royalty fee is to be paid for the purchase of works by contemporary Danish artist and some international artists who are either still alive, or who died within the last 70 years. Read more ×