In the gallery windows of Copenhagen we have noticed a large number of homegrown abstract expressionist paintings. They seem to still be a staple of the popular art galleries along with prints and sometimes art /craft items. The paintings are all very much of a similar style; messy, highly coloured, non-representational or marginally representational, and often without discernable formal structure. Paintings just like them can also be seen in the windows of real estate agents where they are displayed in photographs of apartments for sale. These apartments are almost without exception beautifully furnished in a spare…well, Danish modern…style, very cool but comfortable too.
It occurred to us that the expressionist paintings are there to contrast with this high level of restrained design in much the same way as Sepik River sculptures were used in modernist apartments in the fifties and sixties to show the breadth of cultural sophistication of the owners. It’s the old sweet-and-sour game apartment-wise.
Images: Danish art to go
