Peter Hansen (1868–1928)
A Painter at Her Easel, undated
Oil on canvas

In the foreground of the picture a painter stands before an easel, holding her palette in her hand. A summery landscape unfolds in front of her: a lush garden, a glinting field, a green forest edge and the luminous sky with heavy clouds. The scene probably originates from Skovkrogen, a property near Haarby on Funen where Peter Hansen’s family stayed for several summers from 1909 to 1914.¹ The painter in the picture is Peter Hansen’s stepdaughter, Elisabeth Neckelmann (1884–1956).

Elisabeth Neckelmann showed interest in the art of painting from a very young age. She was personally acquainted with several of the Funen Painters, and her father Peter Hansen both inspired and guided her. She received drawing lessons from Fritz Syberg over the course of one winter, but other than this she was self-taught.² Her favourite subjects were still lifes, landscapes, and portraits, and much of her work is clearly influenced by the Funen Painters.

Elisabeth Neckelmann was particularly acclaimed among the women artists on the Danish art scene, partly because she was actively involved in the struggle for equality. She was chair of The Danish Women’s Artist Association from 1924 to 1954. In her efforts, she particularly focused on women’s right to be full-time artists on an equal footing with men and on securing better representation for women on the Academy Council, on juries and on exhibition committees.³