Carl Larsson. The Good Life

Press release
Carl Larsson, Suzanne and Another, 1901, Private collection, Photo © Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
Carl Larsson. The Good Life
September 25th 2014 - February 8th 2015
The Good Life
on Display
at Ordrupgaard
Chubby baby cheeks, bright colours and a homely
atmosphere. Carl Larsson is known and loved for his
idyllic depictions of family life on his homestead in
Sweden. Masterful watercolours where beauty and
everyday life go hand in hand. With the exhibition
Carl Larsson. The Good Life, Ordrupgaard tells the
story of a painter who opened up his home through
his art and created an ideal Nordic lifestyle which
still stands today.
Carl Larsson was a superb watercolorist, masterful in his
large-scale artworks and a driven illustrator and portraitist.
First and foremost, however, he is loved for his portrayal
of life in the family home of Lilla Hyttnäs where dreams of
the good life were built around family, home, Nature and
the simple life.
The home as a work of art
Carl Larsson and his wife Karin fitted out Lilla Hyttnäs in a
simple, yet functional style, strongly opposed to the Victorianinspired tastes of their time. In Lilla Hyttnäs, there was no
wall-to-wall carpeting, dark wallpaper or heavy drapery and
ornaments. Light, air and comfort was needed and every
detail was carefully cared for. Homemade textiles and furniture, new and old, were mixed and matched in innovative
solutions to create a highly personal sense of style which
made architecture, interior and even the children’s handmade
clothes all come together. The homestead and everyday life
was woven into a universal artwork.
The good life for everyone
Carl Larsson and his wife Karin came to have an enormous
impact on Scandinavian interior style. One room at a time,
Carl painted life in Lilla Hyttnäs making it one of the most
famous homes in all of Sweden. This was also due to reproductions of the popular print collection A Home, published
in 1899. Through their art, Carl Larsson and his wife not only
reformed the way to decorate a home – they also created a
new ideal where family members could enjoy each other’s
company without the formal restrictions of the past; a family
life based on happiness where children were allowed to frolic
and grow. This lifestyle made the joys and beauty of everyday
life available to everyone. In this way, Carl Larsson’s project
was based on a social message and his ideals can be seen as an
important part of the dawning of Scandinavian welfare ideas.
Carl Larsson in a new light
With Carl Larsson. The Good Life, Ordrupgaard wishes
to recast the beloved Swedish painter as one of the most
important Nordic artists; an artist whose lifestyle ideals still
thrive today. The exhibition is the first Danish solo show of
Larsson’s work since 1990 and it is part of Ordrupgaard’s
exhibition series featuring great Nordic artists from the turn
of the 19th century. Earlier artists to be featured in the series
are prominent Scandinavians such as Hammershøi, Willumsen, Munch, Nolde and many more, as well as international
key figures like Degas, Ensor, van Gogh, Gauguin and Bernard.
Carl Larsson for the kids
As part of the exhibition Carl Larsson. The Good Life,
Ordrupgaard shows the installation At Home by RussianFinnish artist Alexander Reichstein. Reichstein, whose
interactive installations especially target children, projects
Carl Larsson’s famous watercolours onto the walls thus
creating a series of rooms where children can explore the
painter’s artistic universe.
Carl Larsson. The Good Life will be displayed at Ordrupgaard
from the 25th of September 2014 until the 8th of February
2015.
For more information, please contact:
Press Officer Maria Desirée Holm-Jacobsen,
[email protected], +45 39 96 02 92
The exhibition is supported by:
A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal
Preben Johan Michelsens Fond / Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond / Ferring Pharmaceuticals / Knud Højgaards Fond
Arne V. Schleschs Fond / Beckett-Fonden / Ernst B. Sund Fonden / Lizzie og Ejler Ruges Kunstfond / Toyota-Fonden
Fondet for Dansk-Svensk Samarbejde / Gangstedfonden / Letterstedtska föreningen