Marie Triepcke Krøyer Alfvén
Encyclopedia
Marie Triepcke Krøyer Alfvén (11 June 1867 - 25 May 1940), commonly known as Marie Krøyer, was a famous Danish
painter
. She was born Maria Martha Mathilde Triepcke in Frederiksberg
, Denmark
to Wilhelm August Eduard Max and Minna Augusta Kindler Triepcke, who had immigrated to Denmark from Germany
the previous year. Max Triepke worked as technical director for the J. H. Rubens Loomery.
, a prominent businessman who ran a successful tobacco manufacturing business, and was a patron of the arts. His art collection forms the basis of the Hirschsprung Collection in Copenhagen
. Hirschsprung had a special interest in and was a financial supporter of Peder Severin Krøyer
- who would marry Maria in 1889.
Maria showed a great interest in art, and wanted to pursue training as a painter. It was very difficult in those days for women to come into art training, but she was talented, willful, independently minded and had the support of her parents. With those traits, and both her social and artistic connections, she was able to come in the private studios of Carl Thomsen and Kristian Zahrtmann
for study in Copenhagen. She was helped along the way by Bertha Wegmann, a leading portrait artist of the day, for whom she modelled at 16 years of age, and Andreas Peter Weis, an employee of the Danish Ministry of Culture. In Paris she studied side by side with Anna Ancher
at Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
atelier. Anna Ancher, a fellow Dane and resident of Skagen
, would be a lifelong friend. She studied also at the ateliers of Gustave Courtois and Alfred Philippe Roll
. She debuted at Charlottenborg
in 1888, and helped found Den frie Udstilling (The Free Exhibition) in 1891.
Maria also became good friends with painters Harald Slott-Møller, and Agnes Rambusch (Agnes Slott-Møller
), his future wife. Agnes would continue a lifetime of support and encouragement for Maria's artistic pursuits. Other friends with whom she maintained exhaustive correspondence include Georg Brandes
, critic and scholar, whom she admired, and Sophus Schandorf, poet, who together with his wife treated Marie as their daughter throughout the years.
Shortly after coming to Paris alone in December 1888, a daring adventure for a respectable young woman of those times, Maria ran into Krøyer at a café
frequented by Nordic artists. Her beauty suddenly overwhelmed Krøyer, even though he had known her for a number of years. She sat as model for his painting "A Duet" (1887), studied at a studio which he oversaw, visited his studio and had met him socially on various occasions at the Hirschsprung home. After a whirlwind romance the couple married on 23 July 1889 at the Triepke's home in Augsburg
, Germany (The Triepkes had been forced to move back to Germany in 1888 on account of the father's loss of employment).
The transformation of the simple, young woman Maria into the elegant, sophisticated and often scandalous Marie, wife of one of Denmark's leading cultural figures had begun. The newlyweds traveled extensively in Germany
, Italy
, France
and Denmark
before settling in Skagen in 1891. They divided their time between homes in Skagen and Copenhagen, and continued to travel extensively throughout their marriage. Paris was a regular destination as Krøyer exhibited at the annual Salons. Although Marie's production of paintings was limited after marrying Krøyer, paintings and watercolors of hers can be seen at the Skagens Museum. Marie is also remembered for her portrayals in the many paintings in which Krøyer featured her.
In addition to painting, and later as a replacement for it, she found creative outlet in designing the refined interiors of the several homes she and Krøyer created. She was inspired by the then fashionable Arts and Crafts movement
. Her furniture designs would be used by Ulrik Plesner, a leading architect of the time, and original pieces are exhibited at the National Museum. Many of her friends in the rich, influential and fashionable circles would request her advice on the interior design of their homes.
Marie and Krøyer had one child, Vibeke, who was born January, 1895.
At the turn of the century Krøyer's health began deteriorating drastically, and he was frequently hospitalized for lengthy periods. His mental instability proved too much for their marriage, and Marie during a tour to Taormina
, Sicily
in 1902 met Hugo Alfvén
, the Swedish
composer, the man who would become her future husband. They had a passionate affair. Although Hugo frequently spent time in Skagen along with Marie, Krøyer was reluctant to divorce her. He finally succumbed when Marie became pregnant with Hugo's child, and their divorce was finalized in 1905.
Marie and Hugo lived together several years before marrying, along with their daughter, Margita, at their home Alfvénsgaard in Tällberg
Sweden
, which she designed completely: the building, interior, furnishings and interior decoration. They married in 1912. Marie designed also the interior for their subsequent home Linneanum at Uppsala University
, Uppsala
, Sweden, where Hugo was director of music. She produced watercolors and drawings during her second marriage, as well as interior decorations. Marie and Hugo divorced in 1936.
Marie died in Stockholm
, Sweden on 25 May 1940.
Siobhán Parkinson's novel Painted Ladies (2010) centres on the life of Marie Krøyer.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. She was born Maria Martha Mathilde Triepcke in Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to Wilhelm August Eduard Max and Minna Augusta Kindler Triepcke, who had immigrated to Denmark from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
the previous year. Max Triepke worked as technical director for the J. H. Rubens Loomery.
Biography
Maria enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class life growing up in the Triepcke home, along with her two brothers Wilhelm and Valdemar. A childhood schoolfriend, Ida Hirschsprung, brought Maria in social contact with Heinrich and Pauline Hirschsprung, Ida's aunt and uncle. Heinrich HirschsprungHeinrich Hirschsprung
Heinrich Hirschsprung was a Danish tobacco manufacturer, arts patron and art collector, founder of the Hirschsprung Collection in Copenhagen, a museum dedicated to Danish art from the 19th and early 20th century....
, a prominent businessman who ran a successful tobacco manufacturing business, and was a patron of the arts. His art collection forms the basis of the Hirschsprung Collection in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. Hirschsprung had a special interest in and was a financial supporter of Peder Severin Krøyer
Peder Severin Krøyer
Peder Severin Krøyer , known as P.S. Krøyer, was a Norwegian-Danish painter. He is one of the best known and beloved, and undeniably the most colorful of the Skagen Painters, a community of Danish and Nordic artists who lived, gathered or worked in Skagen, Denmark, especially during the final...
- who would marry Maria in 1889.
Maria showed a great interest in art, and wanted to pursue training as a painter. It was very difficult in those days for women to come into art training, but she was talented, willful, independently minded and had the support of her parents. With those traits, and both her social and artistic connections, she was able to come in the private studios of Carl Thomsen and Kristian Zahrtmann
Kristian Zahrtmann
Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, was a Danish painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and Theodor Esbern Philipsen, who broke away from both the strictures of traditional Academicism and the...
for study in Copenhagen. She was helped along the way by Bertha Wegmann, a leading portrait artist of the day, for whom she modelled at 16 years of age, and Andreas Peter Weis, an employee of the Danish Ministry of Culture. In Paris she studied side by side with Anna Ancher
Anna Ancher
Anna Ancher was a Danish artist associated with the Skagen Painters, an artists' colony in the very north of Jutland.-Background:...
at Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes was a French painter, who became the president and co-founder of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and whose work influenced many other artists.-Life:...
atelier. Anna Ancher, a fellow Dane and resident of Skagen
Skagen
Skagen is a projection of land and a town, with a population of 8,515 , in Region Nordjylland on the northernmost tip of Vendsyssel-Thy, a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark...
, would be a lifelong friend. She studied also at the ateliers of Gustave Courtois and Alfred Philippe Roll
Alfred Philippe Roll
Alfred Philippe Roll was a French painter.- Career :Roll studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he was taught by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Henri-Joseph Harpignies, Charles-François Daubigny and Léon Bonnat. He painted his first landscape in 1869, and in 1870 exhibited "Environs of Baccarat" and "Evening"...
. She debuted at Charlottenborg
Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since its foundation in 1754...
in 1888, and helped found Den frie Udstilling (The Free Exhibition) in 1891.
Maria also became good friends with painters Harald Slott-Møller, and Agnes Rambusch (Agnes Slott-Møller
Agnes Slott-Møller
Agnes Rambusch Slott-Møller was a Danish painter.Her work was in the vein of Danish history and mythology. She is represented in the National Gallery of Norway.From 1888 she was married to fellow painter Harald Slott-Møller ....
), his future wife. Agnes would continue a lifetime of support and encouragement for Maria's artistic pursuits. Other friends with whom she maintained exhaustive correspondence include Georg Brandes
Georg Brandes
Georg Morris Cohen Brandes was a Danish critic and scholar who had great influence on Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind the "Modern Breakthrough" of Scandinavian culture...
, critic and scholar, whom she admired, and Sophus Schandorf, poet, who together with his wife treated Marie as their daughter throughout the years.
Shortly after coming to Paris alone in December 1888, a daring adventure for a respectable young woman of those times, Maria ran into Krøyer at a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
frequented by Nordic artists. Her beauty suddenly overwhelmed Krøyer, even though he had known her for a number of years. She sat as model for his painting "A Duet" (1887), studied at a studio which he oversaw, visited his studio and had met him socially on various occasions at the Hirschsprung home. After a whirlwind romance the couple married on 23 July 1889 at the Triepke's home in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany (The Triepkes had been forced to move back to Germany in 1888 on account of the father's loss of employment).
The transformation of the simple, young woman Maria into the elegant, sophisticated and often scandalous Marie, wife of one of Denmark's leading cultural figures had begun. The newlyweds traveled extensively in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
before settling in Skagen in 1891. They divided their time between homes in Skagen and Copenhagen, and continued to travel extensively throughout their marriage. Paris was a regular destination as Krøyer exhibited at the annual Salons. Although Marie's production of paintings was limited after marrying Krøyer, paintings and watercolors of hers can be seen at the Skagens Museum. Marie is also remembered for her portrayals in the many paintings in which Krøyer featured her.
In addition to painting, and later as a replacement for it, she found creative outlet in designing the refined interiors of the several homes she and Krøyer created. She was inspired by the then fashionable Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. Her furniture designs would be used by Ulrik Plesner, a leading architect of the time, and original pieces are exhibited at the National Museum. Many of her friends in the rich, influential and fashionable circles would request her advice on the interior design of their homes.
Marie and Krøyer had one child, Vibeke, who was born January, 1895.
At the turn of the century Krøyer's health began deteriorating drastically, and he was frequently hospitalized for lengthy periods. His mental instability proved too much for their marriage, and Marie during a tour to Taormina
Taormina
Taormina is a comune and small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina and Catania. Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in 1902 met Hugo Alfvén
Hugo Alfvén
was a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter.- Violinist :Alfvén was born in Stockholm and studied at the Music Conservatory there from 1887 to 1891 with the violin as his main instrument, receiving lessons from Lars Zetterquist. He also took private composition lessons from Johan...
, the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
composer, the man who would become her future husband. They had a passionate affair. Although Hugo frequently spent time in Skagen along with Marie, Krøyer was reluctant to divorce her. He finally succumbed when Marie became pregnant with Hugo's child, and their divorce was finalized in 1905.
Marie and Hugo lived together several years before marrying, along with their daughter, Margita, at their home Alfvénsgaard in Tällberg
Tällberg
Tällberg is a locality situated in Leksand Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 637 inhabitants in 2005....
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which she designed completely: the building, interior, furnishings and interior decoration. They married in 1912. Marie designed also the interior for their subsequent home Linneanum at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, Sweden, where Hugo was director of music. She produced watercolors and drawings during her second marriage, as well as interior decorations. Marie and Hugo divorced in 1936.
Marie died in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden on 25 May 1940.
Siobhán Parkinson's novel Painted Ladies (2010) centres on the life of Marie Krøyer.
See also
- List of Danish painters
- The Passion of MarieThe Passion of MarieThe Passion of Marie is an upcoming Danish film directed by Bille August, starring Birgitte Hjort Sørensen and Søren Sætter-Lassen. Its original Danish title is Balladen om Marie, which means "The ballad of Marie"...
- Skagen PaintersSkagen PaintersThe Skagen Painters were a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered in the area of Skagen, the northernmost part of Denmark, from the late 1870s until the turn of the century...