LONDON.- This winter, Dulwich Picture Gallery will present Anna Ancher: Painting Light, the first major UK exhibition dedicated to Anna Ancher (1859 – 1935), one the most important and innovative artists in Danish history, and one of the few women of her era to achieve widespread recognition for her work.

Bringing together rarely seen studies discovered in Ancher’s home with a wide selection of works spanning her remarkable career, the exhibition will feature over 40 paintings – among them several of her most celebrated masterpieces, such as The Maid in the Kitchen (1883 – 1886), on loan from The Hirschsprung Collection, and Interior. Brøndum’s Annex (c. 1916), on special loan from Skagens Museum.

Though widely regarded in Denmark as one of the country’s greatest artists, Ancher remains relatively unknown to British audiences. This exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to experience her intimate paintings, revealing her pioneering use of colour and masterful ability to capture light, firmly positioning her among the leading artists of the late nineteenth and early 20th century.

A key voice in the Scandinavian ‘Modern Breakthrough’ movement, Ancher sought to depict everyday life with honesty and authenticity. She was a central figure among the Skagen Painters, a community of artists who settled in the remote fishing village of Skagen at the northernmost tip of Denmark. Nearly all of Ancher’s works depict scenes around Skagen, and she frequently used locals as models; uniquely among the Skagen Painters, Ancher was raised in the town itself, giving her a deep, personal connection to her sitters and their everyday lives. In Old Man Whittling Sticks (1880) Ancher depicts a Skagen fisherman hunched over as he concentrates on his craft. The painting represents Ancher’s formal debut as an artist and was exhibited at the spring exhibition at Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, one of the most important events in the Danish art calendar.

Influenced by her travels to France, Ancher developed a distinctive approach that translated the colour and atmospheric effects of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism into a Scandinavian context. Her interest in light was constant, and unparalleled among Danish artists. She was interested in capturing different times of day, often depicting the same subject multiple times with only subtle variations. In Sunlight in the Blue Room (1891), one of Ancher’s most important paintings, light becomes almost tangible, illustrated with thickly painted squares on the back wall of the room.

For a long time, Anna Ancher was regarded primarily as a painter of interiors; however, in 2014 a large collection of virtually unknown oil studies was discovered, a vast number of which depict the distinctive, rugged scenery of Skagen. Many of the artist’s landscapes have a spiritual character, presenting religious rituals or events. Yet, Ancher had an ambiguous relationship to religion. The artist’s masterpiece A Field Sermon (1903) can be interpreted as illustrating her internal conflict and the confrontation between tradition and modernity.

Ancher was not the only female artist active in Denmark during this period, but she was undoubtedly the most successful. In forging her career, she subverted many common gendered expectations. Women were not expected to pursue a profession, especially after marriage, and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art was closed to women until 1888. Ancher received international acclaim at a time when many female artists struggled to gain recognition.

The exhibition will include a small selection of works by Ancher’s female contemporaries: Marie Luplau (1848-1925), Emilie Mundt (1842-1922), Marie Sandholdt (1872-1942) and Louise Bonfils (1856-1933). These works are being loaned specially by comedian, author and broadcaster, Sandi Toksvig, who champions Danish women’s art of this period.

Anna Ancher: Painting Light is curated by Helen Hillyard, Head of Collection, Dulwich Picture Gallery, in partnership with Skagens Museum. Accompanying the exhibition will be a colour-illustrated catalogue with newly commissioned essays by Helen Hillyard and Mette Harbo Lehmann, Curator, Skagens Museum to contextualise and further explore Ancher’s life and work.

Helen Hillyard, Curator of Anna Ancher: Painting Light and Head of Collection at Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: “Unlike many female painters of her generation, Anna Ancher was never ‘lost’ to art history. Nevertheless, she has not yet received the international recognition that she deserves. Her works are so captivating, you cannot help but be drawn into her world.”

Lisette Vind Ebbesen, Director, Skagens Museum, said: “It’s a great pleasure for us to collaborate with Dulwich Picture Gallery on this Anna Ancher exhibition. We consider her to be one of the most important Danish painters of her time – and so did her contemporaries. Her colours, motifs and style resembled none of them, and they still seem unique and fresh so many years later. We believe she has much to offer the world and are very excited to contribute to the first UK showing of Anna Ancher.”

Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Skagens Museum on this landmark exhibition celebrating Anna Ancher whose luminous works distinguish her as a pioneering modern painter.”