Committee for the French Art Exhibition in Copenhagen 1888

Peder Severin Krøyer's 1888 group portrait of the organizing committee for the French Art Exhibition in Copenhagen documents an important moment in Scandinavian cultural diplomacy — the reciprocal exhibition that followed the Danish and French art exchanges of the 1880s. Krøyer, who had studied in Paris and was closely connected to the French art world, was ideally placed to paint such a subject, which included both Danish organizers and French participants. The work, in the Hirschsprung Collection, represents his ability to organize multi-figure compositions with natural informality and psychological ease.

Krøyer arranges the committee members with the informal ease of his best group portraits, avoiding the stiffness of official commemoration. The handling is direct and characteristically blue-toned in the shadows. Individual characterization is precise without being satirical — each face given attention within the group composition.