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Peter Hentze was a Danish visual artist whose wide-ranging career combined academic depth with a strong talent for architectural commissions and visual storytelling. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen from 1964 to 1972, first as a student and later as a research fellow under Professors Sven Havsteen-Mikkelsen and Sterup-Hansen. During his studies, he received several prestigious honours, including the Neuhausen Prize in 1969 and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Silver Medal in 1970. In 1977, he was awarded a three-year working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation, followed by several additional grants and honours throughout his career.
From the early 1970s onwards, Hentze completed numerous architectural commissions, combining artistic sensitivity with a strong understanding of space and architecture. Among his best-known projects are commissions for the theatre at Ungdomsbyen in Rødovre, Hjørring Hospital, the Vingsted Centre near Vejle, the DSB ferry Peder Pors, Viborg Post Office, and Holte Gymnasium. In 1987, he also created the artwork for the Blue Hall at Hotel Nyborg Strand, a commission that clearly reflects the maturity of his artistic style.
Hentze also worked in the worlds of books and theatre. As an illustrator, he contributed to publications by writers including Dan Turèll and F. P. Jac, and he designed stage sets, including a production for the Royal Danish Theatre in 1982. This versatility made him an artist equally at home creating monumental public works and intimate illustrations, moving effortlessly between architecture, print, and the performing arts.
Peter Hentze left behind a body of work distinguished by curiosity, exceptional craftsmanship, and a lifelong commitment to exploring the many possibilities of visual art.
Ten Carved Bondex Panels with a Collage of Painted Plywood Birds with Glass Eyes
1988
244 × 122 cm (each panel)
About the Artwork
This work was donated by Johannes Meldgaard Andersen, who served for many years as Chairman of the Board at Nyborg Strand. Peter Hentze created the ten panels specifically for this room, intending them to form one complete and immersive artistic environment.
At first glance, it might seem that Hentze drew inspiration from the hotel's location between forest and sea. Through the carved, stylised leaves in the panels, you may catch glimpses of blue sky and water. But the brightly coloured birds are not ones you would find outside the hotel. Hentze himself explained that he saw the birds as symbols of evolution, highlighting the physical similarities between birds and humans - their mouths, ears, and eyes. In this way, the Blue Hall is transformed into an aviary, though not only for colourful birds.
The artworks can be found in the Birdcage Lounge (Fugleburet).
