Hammershoi and the life of interiors - a lecture by the Arts Society Horsham

Vilhelm Hammershøi is most celebrated for his interiors, many of which he painted in Copenhagen, where he lived with his wife from 1898 to 1909. He travelled widely in Europe, finding London especially atmospheric in providing locations for his greatly understated work, which has been described as "Monet meets the Camden School".

He was sought out by artists and literary figures of the time, among them Emil Nolde and Rainer Maria Rilke. He is now one of the best-known artists in Scandinavia. In 2008, the Royal Academy of London hosted the first major exhibition in Britain of Hammershøi's work, Vilhelm Hammershøi: The Poetry of Silence.

In 2012, Hammershøi's Ida læser et brev (Ida Reading a Letter) was auctioned by Sotheby's in London for £1.7m, a record for any Danish work of art. Two other paintings by Hammershøi were also sold at Sotheby's: Interiør med to lys (Interior with Two Candles) for £1.1m and Ida i interiør (Ida in Interior) for £0.67m. In 2018, following Christie's New York European Art auction The Getty Museum acquired the painting Interior with an Easel, Bredgade 25 (1912) for £4m.

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Dr KATHY MCLAUCHLAN

Dr Kathy McLauchlan is a lecturer specialising in 19th-century art history. She is a graduate of Oxford University and the Courtauld Institute, with a PhD on French 19th-century painters in Rome. She is currently a course director at the Victoria & Albert Museum, organising courses and study days on the history of art and design. She teaches at several institutions, including Art Pursuits, and is an Arts Society accredited lecturer.