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Petri Gissel was a Danish painter with a strong classical education and an internationally oriented artistic career. Born in Grenaa, he received early training from Gustav Vermehren and C.V. Aagaard before studying under P. Rostrup Bøyesen at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen from 1917 to 1920.
Gissel broadened his artistic horizons through study trips to France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Norway. He exhibited extensively both in Denmark and abroad, including at Charlottenborg, as well as in Helsinki, Amsterdam, and Oslo. Throughout his career, he received numerous scholarships and awards, and from 1930 to 1934 he served on the exhibition committee at Charlottenborg.
His work is represented in several Danish museum collections, including the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK), Randers Art Museum, Trapholt Museum of Modern Art and Design, and the Museum Lolland-Falster (formerly Storstrøm Art Museum). His paintings reflect an artistic practice firmly rooted in the classical tradition while remaining open to inspiration from across Europe.
Oil on Canvas
1961
139 × 195 cm
About the Artwork
Abraham's Test of Faith was donated by Anna and Hans Munck – Unge Hjem i Danmark. The subject was chosen as part of a commission when Petri Gissel created artwork for the entrance hall of the newly built Unge Hjem Folk High School in Aarhus.
The painting reflects Gissel's artistic development, moving from the heavy tones of his early winter landscapes towards a lighter palette, freer brushstrokes, and landscapes and interiors populated by people and animals.
The artwork can be found in the South Wing (Sydfløjen), in the stairwell by the third floor.
