A World Apart
A World Apart: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony on view February 15–May 12, 2013.
A well-known and much-loved figure in Denmark, Anna Ancher is most admired for her paintings of interiors filled with light and color, influenced by Impressionism. Her work defies easy categorization, however, because her paintings reveal an affinity with the art of the past as well as various contemporary artistic movements. Ancher was a talented and versatile artist who created some of the most avant-garde works to come out of the art colony in the remote, northern town of Skagen, Denmark.
Working at the turn of the 20th century, Ancher and the other Skagen painters were influenced by the European art movements of Impressionism, Realism, Naturalism, and Symbolism, among others. The Skagen artists were part of the “Modern Breakthrough”—a literary and artistic movement in Scandinavia that paralleled the radical break with tradition that was taking place all over Europe, most notably in France. No longer interested in the idealization of subjects, the Skagen artists portrayed the everyday lives of the people around them. They also experimented with plein air painting (outdoor painting), a method practiced by Impressionist painters who sought to capture what they saw directly onto their canvases.
A World Apart: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony is the largest exhibition of Ancher’s work ever to be held in the United States. Including over 40 paintings by Ancher and more than 20 by her Skagen colleagues, this exhibition explores Ancher’s role as the only professional female artist within the colony and, in turn, her place in the history of western art.
A World Apart Programs
- February 20, 12–1 p.m.: Gallery Talk—A Curator’s Perspective
- February 24, 1–2 p.m.: Gallery Talk—Contemporary Perspectives on Anna Ancher
- February 27, 12–1 p.m.: Gallery Talk—Contemporary Perspectives on Anna Ancher
- March 3, 1–2 p.m.: Gallery Talk—Contemporary Perspectives on Anna Ancher
- March 6, 12–1 p.m.: Gallery Talk—Contemporary Perspectives on Anna Ancher
- March 10, 1 p.m.: Performance—Danish National Girls’ Choir
- April 7, 1 p.m.: Danish Film Series—Italian for Beginners
- April 14, 1 p.m.: Danish Film Series—In a Better World
- April 21, 1 p.m.: Danish Film Series—This Life
A World Apart Broad Strokes Blog Posts
- Gendered Interiors
- Shedding Light: A Curator’s Perspective on Anna Ancher
- Daring Danish Designer Nanna Ditzel (Part 2 of 2)
- Daring Danish Designer Nanna Ditzel (Part 1 of 2)
- Traditional Roots: Family Paintings in “A World Apart”
- NMWA’s Nordic Cool
- The Skagen Terrain: Land and Sea Paintings
- Through Artists’ Eyes: Skagen Painters as Models
- Danish artist Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen (Part 2 of 2)
- Danish artist Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen (Part 1 of 2)
- The Surreal Deal: Rita Kernn-Larsen
- Grit & Grime: The Dirty Truth behind the Skagen Artists’ Methods
- Search for the Spectacular: Elisabeth Jerichau Baumann
- Member Preview Day: A Sweet Success
- One Queen to Rule Them All: Margrethe II of Denmark
- Skagen artist Marie Triepcke Krøyer: Part 2 of 2
- Skagen artist Marie Triepcke Krøyer: Part 1 of 2
- The Innovative Anna Ancher
A World Apart: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and Skagens Museum, Skagen, Denmark, in cooperation with Michael and Anna Ancher’s House, Skagen, Denmark.
The exhibition is made possible by the lead sponsorship of Oak Foundation, Denmark. Additional funding is provided by Beckett-Fonden, The Danish Foreign Ministry, The Danish Ministry of Culture, The Danish Agency for Culture, Queen Margrethe’s and Prince Henrik’s Foundation, Peter Flinch, and GE Foundation, with support from the Friends of Anna Ancher.
The museum gratefully acknowledges the invaluable assistance of The Danish Embassy in the United States.
