Where two seas meet in the most northern part of Jutland in Denmark is Skagen, a famous place for painters in the late 19th century. Artists also came from Norway and Sweden to participate in the gatherings at Anna and Michael Ancher’s home and at the Broendom Hotel which was owned by Anna’s family who had a significant influence in creating the artists’ colony.

View from the Skagen Museum

Skagen beach

The red house in the garden behind the statue was Anna and Michael Ancher’s atelier. The hotel is seen in a glimpse between the trees to the left in the same photo.

The Skagen Museum garden

“Drachmann” benches The Skagen Museum garden

The main building of the Skagen Museum

View from the Skagen Museum: Broendom’s Hotel

The artists decorated the dining room, and in 1946, the room was moved to the Skagen’s Museum opposite the hotel. The dining room contained 81 pieces of art, including portraits of the artists in the Skagen Colony.

The wooden panels at the former dining room at Broendum’s Hotel at Skagen Museum. Marie and P.S. Kroeyer first from the left

A side panel from the Broendum Hotel dining room painted by different artists from the colony

The wooden panels at the former dining room at Broendum’s Hotel at Skagen Museum

P.S. Kroeyer’s “The Artists’ Luncheon from the dining room at the Broendum’s Hotel

The light from the two seas and the colour of the sand and yellow fisherman’s houses in combination with the guest friendliness of Anna Ancher and her family made it an attractive place to spend the summers.

Michael Ancher painted the fishermen and their hard life conditions then the talented Peder Severin Kroeyer came with his beautiful wife and gained popularity by his more modern art. Jealousy and drama occurred as some of the newcomers stole the motives from Michael Ancher who lived there permanently. Their friendship stood the test through it all.  

P.S. Kroeyer Summer evening at the South Beach of Skagen 1893. Marie Kroeyer and Anna Ancher

Kroeyer Summer evening at the South Beach of Skagen.

A gift from the German publisher Axel Springer in 1978 and received in 1986 as a memorial for the Danish people’s action to save the Danish Jews in 1943. The foundation behind the Skagen museum would never be able to buy the work from the auction.

Exhibitions on the Skagen painters works today in Denmark are as popular as the French Impressionists and shown in the Skagen Museum. The link is in English.

In Gothenburg Art Museum a famous painting by Peder Severin Kroeyer shows an idyllic scene from a summer lunch in the shady garden of the Anna and Michael Ancher’s home. Many of these belonged to the colony of painters.

“Hip Hip Hurrah” by P.S. Kroeyer 1888 Gothenburg Art Museum

Michael Ancher’s models used by Kroeyer

P.S. Kroeyer: Fishermen hauling a net at Skagen Northern beach 1883

P.S. Kroeyer “A little girl standing at the Southern beach”. 1884

P.S. Kroeyer “A Fisher boy sitting beside a wheelbarrow 1884

Michael and Anna Ancher were a stable couple who loved each other and Anna’s paintings have gathered a lot of popularity over the last decades.

Anna Ancher: “Interior With Clematis” 1913

“Sunshine in the Blue Room” Anna Ancher 1998 The model is Helga, their daughter

Marie Kroeyer was also a painter, but Kroeyer didn’t want her to paint.

Some other Skagen painters

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A Swedish composer came to the artist colony, and Marie left her family to marry him. Marie and Peder Severin both made beautiful paintings but were an unhappy couple. The photos I chose to this post are just a small taste of what you can see at the museum. In this link, you can see a great variety of the Skagen Artists’ works.

P.S. Kroeyer’s Midsummer Bonfire. He is somewhere in the picture himself. To the left of the fire are the Swedish Composer Hugo Alvén and Marie Kroeyer in 1906

Thank you for being here with me at Northern part of Jutland

Watching the sea at the South Beach of Skagen