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Artists in charge of acquisitions:
The acquisition of Danish art for SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, 1866–1973

or more than a century, acquisitions of Danish art for the SMK collection were made by a committee whose members came from outside the museum. This article examines why the committee was established in 1866 and why it remained in place until 1973. Why were successive directors not given a free hand to make purchases as they pleased, and why did artists come, at times, to dominate the museum’s acquisition policy?

by Anette Østerby / Published May 2026

About Perspective

Perspective is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research that is of relevance to Danish art. The articles will primarily address art found at Danish museums, and will present research on theory, method or museology based on Danish museum practices.

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img Artists in charge of acquisitions: </br> The acquisition of Danish art for SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, 1866–1973
Af: Anette Østerby

Artists in charge of acquisitions: The acquisition...

or more than a century, acquisitions of Danish art for the SMK collection were made by a committee whose members came from outside the museum....

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img The Early Reception and Appreciation of Plein-Air Studies in Denmark, 1830–1920
Af: Jesper Svenningsen

The Early Reception and Appreciation of Plein-Air...

Landscape sketches wielded far greater influence in the nineteenth century than the myth relates – they were both exhibited and collected, ultimately achieving recognition in...

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img Hidden Plant Stories: </br> Close and distant readings of houseplants in Danish art 1820–1920
Af: Anette Vandsø, Pernille Leth-Espensen, Anders S. Barfod, Gertrud Oelsner, Nick Shepherd

Hidden Plant Stories: Close and distant readings...

"How can nineteenth-century houseplant art shed new light on the relationship between humans and plants? A plant-centred approach opens up overlooked narratives within art museum...

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img Contentious Landscapes </br> Peter Christian Skovgaard’s Late Italian Motifs
Af: Anne-Mette Villumsen

Contentious Landscapes Peter Christian Skovgaard’s Late Italian...

How did Skovgaard’s Italian landscapes become a forgotten part of his work? This article sheds new light on these paintings, using W.J.T. Mitchell’s critical, power-analytical...

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img Free of the Canvas </br> Concerning two sound works by Richard Winther and Gunnar Aagaard Andersen in the SMK sound archive
Af: Magnus Kaslov

Free of the Canvas Concerning two sound...

In 1948 and 1949, several artists from the Danish artist group Linien II created a series of experimental works in which they transferred concrete art...

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img Willy Ørskov’s Pneumatic Sculptures <br> Inflatable and Unstable Art
Af: Philip Pihl

Willy Ørskov’s Pneumatic Sculptures Inflatable and Unstable...

This article examines Willy Ørskov's pneumatic sculptures from the 1960s and 1970s through the lens of Gilles Deleuze's concept of the time-image. The article argues...

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