Per Kirkeby facts for kids

Per Kirkeby (born September 1, 1938 – died May 9, 2018) was a famous Danish painter, poet, filmmaker, and sculptor. His amazing artworks have been shown all over the world. You can find them in important museums like the Tate in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Per Kirkeby became a member of the Danish Academy in 1982. This is a special group for important artists and thinkers. He won many awards for his art. These included the Art Prize of NORD/LB in 1990 and the Coutts Contemporary Art Foundation Award in 1996. In 1997, he was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog. This is a high honor in Denmark. He also received the Herbert Boeckl Prize in 2003 for his lifetime of work.

Per Kirkeby's Career

A brick sculpture by Per Kirkeby in front of the German National Library in Frankfurt, Germany.

In 1957, Per Kirkeby started studying natural history at the University of Copenhagen. This means he learned about plants, animals, and the Earth. He even traveled to Greenland several times as a research assistant. He went there in 1958, 1959, and 1960.

In 1962, he began studying at the Experimental Art School in Copenhagen. This school was a place where artists tried new and different ways of making art. While there, he worked with many types of art. He did painting, graphic arts (like prints), 8-millimeter films, and performance art.

By 1964, Per Kirkeby had finished his master's degree in arctic geology. This is the study of rocks and land in cold places. Even then, he was already part of the important experimental art group called "eks-skolen." His deep interest in geology and the natural world was a big part of his art. It showed up in many of his works.

Kirkeby became a painter, sculptor, writer, and printmaker. His art was shown at the Venice Biennale many times. This is a very famous art exhibition in Italy. He also worked on theatre shows. He designed the set for the New York City Ballet's 1999 show of Swan Lake. Later, in 2007, he designed the set and costumes for their show of Romeo and Juliet.

He also wrote books. In 1977, he published Fliegende Blätter. In 1988, he wrote a book of essays about famous painters. These included Delacroix, Manet, and Picasso. Per Kirkeby also taught art. He was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe from 1978 to 1989. He also taught at Städelschule in Frankfurt from 1989 to 2000.

In 1996, he worked with filmmaker Lars von Trier on three movies. He created the special chapter headings for Breaking the Waves and Antichrist. He also made the visuals for the start of Dancer in the Dark.

Per Kirkeby's Personal Life

Per Kirkeby was born on September 1, 1938, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His parents were Alfred Kirkeby Christensen and Lucy Helga Alice Nisbeth Bertelsen. His father, Alfred, was an engineer. Per spent his childhood in areas of Copenhagen called Bispebjerg and Husum.

As an adult, Kirkeby lived and worked in several places. These included Hellerup in Denmark, the island of Læsø, Frankfurt am Main in Germany, and Italy. In 1979, he married film producer Vibeke Windeløv. The next year, he bought a house on the island of Laeso. Vibeke and Per separated in 2002. In 2005, he married Mari Anne Duus Jørgensen at Grundtvig's Church. Per Kirkeby had four children: two daughters and two sons.

In 2013, Kirkeby had a serious accident at home. He fell and got a brain injury. In 2015, he shared that he could no longer paint because of the injury. However, he continued to make small etchings. These are a type of printmaking. Per Kirkeby passed away on May 9, 2018, at his home in Hellerup. He is buried at Bispebjerg Cemetery.

Important Exhibitions

Per Kirkeby's untitled fresco inside the Black Diamond library in Copenhagen.

Per Kirkeby's art was shown in many important exhibitions around the world. Here are a few examples:

• "Per Kirkeby", Kunsthalle Krems (2018)
• "Per Kirkeby: Sculptures en brique", Palais des études (2017)
• "Per Kirkeby", Tate Modern (2009)
• "Per Kirkeby", Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (2008)
• "Per Kirkeby", Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art (2007)
• "Per Kirkeby", National Gallery of Denmark (2006)
• "Per Kirkeby: Retrospektive der Zeichnungen", Villa Massimo (2004)
• "Per Kirkeby. Monotypes", University Art Gallery, University Massachusetts Dartmouth (2002)
• "Per Kirkeby. Schilderijen, sculpturen en modellen in brons/Peintures, Sculptures et modèles en bronze" Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (1998)
• "Retrospektive", Ludwig Museum (1987)
• "Per Kirkeby: Recent Paintings and Sculpture", Whitechapel Gallery (1985)
• "An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture", Museum of Modern Art (1984)
• "Per Kirkeby", Van Abbemuseum (1982)
• Documenta 7 (1982)
• "Per Kirkeby", Kunsthalle Bern (1978)