Hammershøi: Painter of Northern Light

Showcasing the best works by the acclaimed Nordic master of light and solitude, this is the first major book on the artist since 1998.

The paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864–1916) have become increasingly popular due their almost contemporary aesthetic. Admired and celebrated during his lifetime, Hammershøi gradually fell into oblivion before being rediscovered in the 1990s. He is now recognized as the iconic painter of Nordic light and solitude.

This newly researched monograph presents the artist’s best works, many drawn from rarely seen private collections. Enigmatic and subtle, his paintings feature empty interiors, shades of gray, and the silhouette of a lone figure. Reminiscent of Edward Hopper, Hammershøi has an impassioned following who will appreciate this new volume.

Multiple scholarly texts and an illustrated chronology shed new light on Hammershøi’s art and explore links with contemporary artists highlighting Hammershøi’s singular genius and more radical aesthetic, which still engages and surprises us today.

About the Authors:

Jean-Loup Champion is a sculptor, publisher, art historian, curator, and editor of several books. Frank Claustrat is Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History at Montpellier University in France as well as a noted expert on Nordic art. He has been published in Artnord, L’Œil, Connaissance des Arts, and La Gazette Drouot. Pierre Curie is curator at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris. Marianne Saabye is a Danish art historian and author who was the director of the Hirschsprung Collection from 1986 until 2016.