The Imprint of War

September 13, 2014 – February 22, 2015

The First World War made a profound impression on JF Willumsen. In the years 1915-18 he produced a series of graphic works that differed markedly from his other artistic production. Willumsen's large canvases have been replaced by smaller formats, where he depicts the shocking brutality of the First World War in an expressive, black-and-white visual universe. Although the graphic works were produced almost 100 years ago, they still seem disturbingly current.

Read the preview of the exhibition at Jyllands-Posten Kultur >>

The exhibition presents these works in dialogue with black-and-white photographs from the world's hot spots by award-winning Danish press photographer Jan Grarup. Despite the differences in education, media and time, one senses a common language in their impressions and imprints of war. The exhibition examines how images of war create meaning, and whether there is a particular iconography of suffering that transcends time and media.

We live in a visual culture and are bombarded daily with fleeting images from the world's wars and conflicts through television and digital media. With the exhibition, we would like to create a framework for immersion and reflection on the imprint of war in visual art and press photography. JF Willumsen's and Jan Grarup's images convey the brutality and suffering of war in an aesthetic expression that brings us closer to the human costs. We have been a warring nation for more than ten years, and even though the hostilities have taken place outside our field of vision, far from Denmark's borders, this does not absolve us from having to reflect on our role and responsibility.

The exhibition is supported by: Augustinus Foundation and Knud Højgaards Foundation.

The exhibition contains strong images and is not recommended for children under 12 years of age.