This early 20th-century oil painting by Danish artist, Georg Seligmann (1866-1924) depicts a manor house on Jægersborg Alle, Copenhagen. It was shown at the ‘Den Frie’ Exhibition in 1915. Seligmann was an accomplished painter of genre scenes, urban views, and landscapes.
Standing with his easel on a neighbouring front lawn, the artist captures a view of ‘Ibstrup’, sun-bleached by Nordic light. Partially obscured by trees, this fine 19th-century manor house presents an enchanting image. The surrounding blooms and verdant foliage are rendered beautifully. While the green picket fence creates an interesting compositional addition.
Seligmann was a multidisciplinary creative, fondly known by his friends as quite a ‘character’. Equally adept as an operatic baritone and a cellist, he was a born performer - and great at parties.
Born in Copenhagen to Rudolf Seligmann, a grocer, he initially studied philosophy before training under the distinguished portrait painter Frans Schwartz (1850-1917). Also enrolling at a painting school run by Peder Severin Krøyer (1851-1909) and Laurits Tuxen (1853-1927). In discussions with fellow artists, he was proud of studying with Krøyer.
At 21, he debuted at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Denmark’s foremost show, with two landscapes. And the following year, his ‘Sunday in Thorvaldsen's Museum’ was acquired for the Hirschsprung Collection. Alongside this, he developed a strong reputation for portraiture with bourgeois clientele.
Following study trips to Holland, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Paris, it seems he lost interest in the academic rigour of Charlottenborg’s hanging committee as he switched to showing works at ‘Den Frie Udstilling’, The Free Exhibition. Established as a rebellion against the views of the academy, eminent contemporaries such as Vilhelm Hammershøi, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh exhibited there.
Seligmann injected his works with emotion, an intangible sense of feeling - he connected with the subject. In his figurative pieces, we gain a sense of not only a model’s underlying spirit but also how the artist felt during the process. One gets the impression that he was a sensitive soul, moved by the environment around him.
He continued to exhibit at Den Frie for many years, becoming an integral part of the artistic ‘in-crowd’. In a letter to art critic Emil Hanover in 1890, Agnes Slott-Møller described him as “so incredibly funny” and “endearingly amiable, so witty, so silly witty!”
He’s represented in numerous public collections including Thorvaldsens Museum, Museum Sønderjylland, the Hirschsprung Collection, and the Danish Jewish Museum.
Signed/dated in the lower left and held in a gilt frame that’s probably original.
Learn more about Georg Seligmann in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 32” x 26½” / 82cm x 68cm
Year of creation: 1914
Labels & Inscriptions: Framer’s label / Exhibition label from Den Frie Exhibition, 1915.
Provenance: Private collection, Denmark.
Exhibited: Copenhagen, Den Frie Exhibition, 1915, no. 169.
Condition: Cleaned. Craquelure in areas. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Our reference: BRV1931
