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Between reality and dreams
Poul Anker Bech painted the world as we know it – and yet not quite. His paintings begin with familiar scenes: a landscape, a road, a person doing something ordinary. But after a moment, reality begins to shift. The sky opens into an unexpected light, objects seem to float, and meanings quietly change. In Bech's work, the ordinary becomes magical, while the magical remains deeply rooted in everyday life.
Born in Vendsyssel in 1942, he grew up surrounded by the landscape that would become an endless source of inspiration throughout his career. He started painting at a young age and chose to follow his own artistic path rather than joining experimental movements such as the Ex-School (Eks-Skolen). Instead, he developed a distinctive visual language that blends storytelling, poetry, and realism.
For many years, Bech taught at Danish upper secondary schools in Skanderborg and Brønderslev. Teaching gave him stability, but painting was always at the heart of his life. His work was exhibited both in Denmark and internationally, and in 2001 he received the Danish Arts Foundation's lifelong grant in recognition of his unique ability to combine humour, melancholy, and keen observation.
Poul Anker Bech left behind a remarkable body of work that tells the story not only of life in Vendsyssel, but of something much greater: our shared search for meaning in the ordinary. His paintings invite us to pause and see the world as if for the very first time.
Poul Anker Bech once described his paintings as being like a meal served on a plate - made up of many different ingredients.
Below, you can explore three art pieces created for Nyborg Strand, as well as Efter kampen, a painting with a particularly special story.
Vinterdag på Stranden
Svævende sommer
Muldvarpejægerne
1 af 3
Vinterdag på Stranden
2 af 3
Svævende sommer
3 af 3
Muldvarpejægerne
Oil on Canvas
2009
Triptych (three paintings) each 220 × 120 cm
About the Artwork
In 2009, Poul Anker Bech created a striking triptych - a work consisting of three connected panels - for Nyborg Strand.
The project was initiated by Nyborg Strand's art committee, which wanted a major artwork for one of the hotel's most prominent locations. The aim was to create something that would be more than decoration: a work with depth, meaning, and the ability to inspire reflection. As part of the process, Poul Anker Bech first painted a series of smaller oil sketches, which were discussed and approved before he began working on the large-scale paintings.
In Muldevarpejægerne Poul Anker Bech uses a layer of hidden symbolism that he himself spoke about while creating the work. He once said: "I can relate to the mole. Sometimes they push something up that isn't very convenient. People get a bit annoyed."
For Bech, the mole became a symbol of the artistic process. Just as molehills suddenly appear and disrupt the landscape, his art emerged unexpectedly - persistent, thought-provoking, and not always comfortable.
The people observing the molehills in the painting represent art critics. In this way, the work becomes a reflection on the nature of art and its ability to provoke, challenge, and start conversations.
Poul Anker Bech also said: "My paintings are a bit like a meal, with lots of different things on the plate."
About the Process
Bent Martinsen, theologian, former Nyborg Strand board member, and a member of the art committee, has described his collaboration with Poul Anker Bech as one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of his career. This triptych, in particular, holds a special place - both within the collection and for those who were closely involved in its creation.
The three paintings would come to have an even greater significance in Poul Anker Bech's artistic career. Shortly after completing them, he passed away, making Triptykon his final completed work.
Triptykon is on display in the hotel's main promenade, outside Conference Rooms A, B, and C (Sal A-B-C), where it welcomes guests each day and invites them to pause and reflect.
Oil on Canvas
1996
Acquired in 2018
132 × 118 cm
About the Artwork
Efter kampen was painted in the wake of Denmark's victory at the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship. Although inspired by a sporting event, the painting carries the same quiet sense of reflection that runs through all of Poul Anker Bech's work - a moment of stillness after the celebration, where people once again seem small in the landscape.
The painting has a special connection to Denmark's former national football team coach, Richard Møller Nielsen.
Richard Møller Nielsen (1937–2014) was head coach of the Danish men's national football team from 1990 to 1996 and led the team to its remarkable European Championship victory in 1992. He is remembered as a dedicated and determined coach who united his players through teamwork and belief in their own abilities - values that are also reflected in his personal interpretation of Poul Anker Bech's Efter kampen.
The artwork can be found in Salon 32.
Efter kampen was painted by Poul Anker Bech in the spring of 1996.
The players gave me this painting as a farewell gift when I stepped down as head coach of the Danish national team. In 2000, the Vendsyssel Art Museum borrowed it for an exhibition of Poul Anker Bech's paintings. As part of the exhibition, I was asked to write a few thoughts about the painting, which were later included in a book about the artist.
The first thing it brings back is, of course, all the wonderful memories I have from my years as Denmark's national coach.
Then there's the frame. About halfway down the left-hand side, it suddenly stops, reaches into the painting, and becomes the platform where the bench and I are sitting. That's exactly what happened during those years. The limits of what we thought was possible were simply broken.
After every match, it always took me a long time to come back down to earth. My mind never stopped working. What could we do better next time? What worked well and should we remember to do again? It was so typical of me to sit and think things through, analysing every detail.
I think the light in the painting is wonderful. It seems to come from behind me, shining across the whole scene. It reminds me of two things. First, during those years I was constantly in the public spotlight, and I have only good memories of that. Second, when I finished as Denmark's national coach, I moved to Finland. In the summer, the light there is incredible, and the sky feels endlessly high.
Some people might look at the painting and say, "The light feels a bit cold. They do say it's lonely at the top. Perhaps he felt the cold up there among the clouds."
To that I can honestly reply: "Yes, sometimes it really was bitterly cold - but the view from up there was absolutely beautiful. I feel incredibly privileged to have experienced it."
Behind the bench, a couple of hens are pecking around in the grass, looking for something to eat. I grew up in the countryside, so I've always liked hens. But I know many men will look at the painting and think, "Women and hens - good heavens."
To them I would simply say: I couldn't disagree more. Just imagine how much poorer life would be without love - and fried eggs.
Richard Møller Nielsen
