The Interior Sublime: Wilhelm Hammershøi and the Painting of Silence

Eik Kahng, Ph.D.
Chief Curator and Deputy Director, SBMA

In the last thirty years, the Danish painter Wilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) has regained the critical recognition that he enjoyed during his lifetime as “the Danish Vermeer.” His route to the uncanny and the sublime was unique, in that he chose to focus on domestic interiors, typically populated by a lone figure, often seen from behind, and in his most memorable compositions, entirely empty. This lecture will seek to locate his art in the European tradition, while describing his unique strategies towards a kind of interior sublime accessed through mundane experience of everyday life.

Generous support for Art Matters is provided by the SBMA Women’s Board.