1966 Oil Painting by Flemming Lipholt

In this abstract oil on canvas, artist Flemming Lipholt (1925-1995) has opposed cool and warm earthy colours. Sweeping gestures of paint collide and run over each other to further emphasise the dramatic atmosphere of this painting. Areas of the canvas are layered with thick paint, giving a sense of three-dimensional form and also conveying to us that the artist genuinely seems to have enjoyed exploring the textural qualities of paint.

The text on the reverse of the canvas describes an annual exhibition held in the Den Frie building, in which Flemming Lipholt was showing alongside seven other artists. Den Frie Udstilling is Denmark’s oldest artists’ association and the mid-century marked the first time that abstract art such as Lipholt’s was seriously represented.