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Jesper Christiansen was born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, in 1955. He studied at the Glyptotek Drawing School from 1972 to 1973 and at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts from 1979 to 1980. Between 1981 and 1988, he attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where he studied under Hein Heinsen and Albert Mertz, followed by several stays of study in London.
Since taking part in the Autumn Exhibition Den Frie in 1981, Christiansen has participated in countless exhibitions and held solo exhibitions in both Denmark and abroad. One particularly notable exhibition was Plant Paintings at DCA Gallery in New York (1996–1997), organised by Galerie Mikael Andersen in Copenhagen. The motifs explored in that exhibition also point towards the work now found at Nyborg Strand. The exhibition catalogue lists no fewer than 101 previous exhibitions.
Since 1996, Jesper Christiansen has been a lecturer, and later Vice Rector, at the Funen Art Academy in Odense.
Acrylic and gesso on canvas
1999
170 × 170 cm
About the Artwork
Pergola Painting (Aquarium Version), created in 1999, reflects Jesper Christiansen's distinctive approach to space and composition. The image moves between thought and reality, the abstract and the figurative, while playing with perspective. At the same time, it feels both flat and deeply three-dimensional. The gently stylised plants also serve as a metaphor for growth, making the work a fitting addition to its setting here at Nyborg Strand.
Christiansen often begins his paintings with a black background, carefully building the light from within the composition. This creates a dynamic tension between depth and surface. In his book The Happy Eye (Det lykkelige øje), he offers a personal insight into his artistic practice, describing how chance, curiosity, and life's many experiences have shaped the way he works.
The artwork can be found outside Auditorium.
