A wonderful early 20th-century portrait of a gentleman by well-listed Danish artist, Oluf Høst (1884-1966). This masterful depiction captures the sitter character with a controlled yet expressive touch.

We’re fortunate to have acquired this piece as Høst is a highly sought after artist. He’s known mostly for his expressive landscape paintings, which are bursting with colour and life and his works often fetch in excess of £20,000 at auction. This portrait is a good example of his early work, which was generally more constrained than his landscapes.

Høst studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and many of his works are now stored at the Oluf Høst museum on Bornholm, Denmark.

The portrait is signed, inscribed on the reverse and housed within a frame that's probably its original.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29” x 35” / 74cm x 89cm
Year of creation: c. 1910
Provenance: Denmark
Condition: Small patch to the reverse. Frame with some age-related wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £179,378 achieved for ‘Sankt Hans Nat’ at an auction in 2021.