
Jorn <<< Ensor
3 March - 5 June 2012
The Belgian artist James Ensor’s humorous and scary paintings of grotesque masque figures, skeletons, skulls, devil figures and his parodies on authorities and officials were an everlasting source of inspiration for the Danish Artist Asger Jorn.
As early as 1937 Asger Jorn visited an exhibition of the German collector von Garvens’s works by Ensor in Copenhagen. The exhibition made a huge impression on the young artist and Jorn was for the rest of his life preoccupied by the work of Ensor.
James Ensor’s paintings have not been shown in Denmark since 1937 and the exhibition will therefore also break new ground. Through a consistent selection of Ensor’s paintings, drawings and graphic works the exhibition will present him to the Danish public as one of the central artists in modern European art.
In 1959 and 1962 Asger Jorn modified a series of old paintings collected at flea markets in Paris. He wanted to modernize the paintings and reworked their motifs in a humorous and grotesque manner. One of the most famous of Jorn’s modifications is the absurd painting of a hanged, masked man. Jorn entitled this painting “Ainsi on s’ensor” showing his fascination of and inspiration from James Ensor.
The exhibition is supported by:
15. Juni Fonden
Nordea-fonden
Det Obelske Familiefond
Fredericia Furniture
The Belgian artist James Ensor’s humorous and scary paintings of grotesque masque figures, skeletons, skulls, devil figures and his parodies on authorities and officials were an everlasting source of inspiration for the Danish Artist Asger Jorn.
As early as 1937 Asger Jorn visited an exhibition of the German collector von Garvens’s works by Ensor in Copenhagen. The exhibition made a huge impression on the young artist and Jorn was for the rest of his life preoccupied by the work of Ensor.
James Ensor’s paintings have not been shown in Denmark since 1937 and the exhibition will therefore also break new ground. Through a consistent selection of Ensor’s paintings, drawings and graphic works the exhibition will present him to the Danish public as one of the central artists in modern European art.
In 1959 and 1962 Asger Jorn modified a series of old paintings collected at flea markets in Paris. He wanted to modernize the paintings and reworked their motifs in a humorous and grotesque manner. One of the most famous of Jorn’s modifications is the absurd painting of a hanged, masked man. Jorn entitled this painting “Ainsi on s’ensor” showing his fascination of and inspiration from James Ensor.
The exhibition is supported by:
15. Juni Fonden
Nordea-fonden
Det Obelske Familiefond
Fredericia Furniture

