In 1918, Lundstrom shocked Copenhagen by exhibiting paintings made on old packing crates. The wood, rough and splintered, was the point: Danish art had been polished, conventional and comfortable, and Lundstrom wanted to break the surface. He was twenty-five and had just introduced French Cubism to a country that had not asked for it.
Key facts
- Lived
- 1893–1950, Danish
- Movement
- Works held in
- 1 museum
Biography
He was born in Copenhagen in 1893 and studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art under Rostrup Boyesen. His debut at the Artists' Autumn Exhibition in 1918 included the packing-crate works alongside paintings influenced by Braque, Picasso and Cezanne. With Karl Larsen, Axel Salto and Svend Johansen, he founded the group De Fire and spent extended periods in France during the 1920s, settling near Cannes.
His mature work settled into geometric still lifes of oranges, bottles and jugs, rendered in clear lines and few colours. Nudes, similarly reduced to geometric essentials, were a recurring subject. He became a member of the Academy Council in 1937 and professor at the Royal Danish Academy in 1944. He died in Copenhagen in 1950, at fifty-six. He remains Denmark's foremost Cubist, though his reputation outside Scandinavia has been slow to travel. Without pursuing the political dimensions that drove Cubism elsewhere, he absorbed its formal language and applied it to Scandinavian subjects with an economy that made his canvases feel both French and distinctly Danish.
Timeline
- 1893Born in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1912At 19, studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art under Rostrup Boyesen in Copenhagen.
- 1918At 25, debuted at the Artists' Autumn Exhibition at Den Frie Udstilling in Copenhagen, introducing French Cubism to Danish audiences.
- 1923At 30, settled at Cagnes-sur-Mer in the south of France with fellow artists Karl Larsen, Axel Salto, and Svend Johansen, forming the group De Fire.
- 1932At 39, returned to Denmark after nearly a decade in France, his geometric still lifes of oranges, bottles, and nudes now defining Danish Cubism.
- 1944At 51, appointed professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen after joining the Academy Council in 1937.
- 1950Died aged 56 in Copenhagen. Buried at Sundby Cemetery, remembered as the pioneer of Danish modernist painting.
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vilhelm Lundstrøm known for?
Vilhelm Lundstrøm is known for introducing French Cubism to Denmark. In 1918, he shocked Copenhagen with paintings made on old packing crates, and his mature work featured geometric still lifes of objects such as oranges, bottles, and jugs.Who was Vilhelm Lundstrøm?
Vilhelm Lundstrøm was a Danish artist born in Copenhagen in 1893. He is known for introducing French Cubism to Denmark and for his later geometric still lifes and nudes.What was Vilhelm Lundstrøm's art style?
Vilhelm Lundstrøm's early work was influenced by Braque, Picasso, and Cezanne. His mature style settled into geometric still lifes and nudes, rendered in clear lines and few colours; he absorbed the formal language of Cubism and applied it to Scandinavian subjects.When was Vilhelm Lundstrøm born?
Vilhelm Lundstrøm was born in 1893 in Denmark. Vilhelm Lundstrøm died in 1950, aged 57.How did Vilhelm Lundstrøm die?
Vilhelm Lundstrøm died in 1950 at the age of 57.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Vilhelm Lundstrøm.
- [1] book Edvard Munch, Delphi Collected Paintings of Edvard Munch Used for: biography.
- [2] book Edvard Munch, Delphi Complete Paintings of Edvard Munch Used for: biography.
- [3] book guggenheim-guggenheimintern1964allo Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-01. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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