From Copenhagen Stock Exchange facts for kids
Quick facts for kids From Copenhagen Stock Exchange |
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| Artist | Peder Severin Krøyer |
| Year | 1895 |
| Medium | Oil-on-canvas |
| Dimensions | 254 cm × 409 cm (100 in × 161 in) |
| Location | Copenhagen |
From Copenhagen Stock Exchange (which means "Fra Kjøbenhavns Børs" in Danish) is a very large painting from 1895. It was created by the famous artist Peder Severin Krøyer. This painting shows 50 important people from Denmark's business and money worlds. They are all gathered in the big hall of Børsen, which is the old Exchange Building in Copenhagen, Denmark. It's like a big group photo of important people from that time!
Contents
The Story Behind the Painting
The idea for this amazing painting came from a man named Gustav Adolph Hagemann in 1881. He was talking with C. F. Tietgen, who was posing for another portrait by Krøyer. Hagemann thought it would be a great idea to have four huge paintings for the newly updated Great Hall in Børsen. These paintings would show important people from different parts of Denmark's economy, like trade, industry, farming, and shipping.
The Exchange Building was chosen as the setting for the first painting. This building had been bought by a group called Grosserer-Societetet in 1857. Krøyer asked for 20,000 DKK (Danish money) to paint it. The plan was to collect this money from the people who would be in the painting.
At first, a spot in the front of the painting cost 800 DKK. A spot in the middle was 500 DKK, and a spot in the background was 300 DKK. It was harder than expected to collect all the money. Things only really started moving when S. V. Isberg from J. B. Suhr & Søn offered to pay 5,000 DKK. This big donation helped lower the prices for everyone else. After that, the prices became 500 DKK for the front, 300 DKK for the middle, and 100 DKK for the back.
The painting was finished in 1895. Even though there was a plan for three more paintings, they were never made. However, Hagemann did ask Krøyer to paint another group portrait in 1901. This one was called Men of Industry and was for Hagemann's own home.
A Recent Event
In April 2024, something very dramatic happened. The painting was carefully saved from the Børsen building during a very serious fire. It was a close call, but thankfully, this important artwork was rescued!
Other Related Artworks
Before painting the huge "From Copenhagen Stock Exchange," Krøyer created a smaller practice painting in 1894. This smaller version is called a "study." It helped him plan out the bigger artwork. This study was owned by different people and companies over the years. It has also been shown in several art exhibitions.
Krøyer also painted individual studies for some of the people in the main painting. These were like practice portraits of just one person. For example, he painted a study of S. V. Isberg in 1894. He also painted a study of Peter Nicolaj Damm in the same year.
A Modern Tribute
About 100 years after Krøyer finished his painting, a new artist named Thomas Kluge was asked to create a new group portrait. This new painting shows the CEO and 13 committee members of the Danish Chamber of Commerce. It's a modern version of a group portrait, inspired by Krøyer's work. You can even see Kluge and Krøyer on the covers of books held by two people in Kluge's painting! This new artwork is kept in the Exchange Building's library.
See also
- A Meeting in the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
