Artwork
A Party in the Artist's Home
A Party in the Artist's Home is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Julius Paulsen. It dates from 1915 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts four named sitters: the painter Vilhelm Hammershøi, Louis Levy, Sven Lange, and Hans Koch.
Julius Paulsen's 1915 oil painting A Party in the Artist's Home is classified as a group portrait, situating it within the tradition of collective likenesses that record a gathering of identifiable individuals. The work depicts four named sitters: the painter Vilhelm Hammershøi, Louis Levy, Sven Lange, and Hans Koch. By staging these figures within his own domestic interior rather than a formal studio setting, Paulsen merged the conventions of portraiture with the informal genre of the convivial gathering, presenting his guests as both individual likenesses and members of a shared social circle.
The painting's nearly square format, at 190 by 190.5 cm, gives the ensemble a balanced, frieze-like arrangement suited to a group composition. Read as a portrait of friends and colleagues assembled in the artist's home, the canvas functions simultaneously as a record of personal relationships and as a statement of artistic community, locating each sitter within the cultural milieu of early-twentieth-century Danish art.
Technique & Style
Julius Paulsen executed A Party in the Artist's Home in 1915 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 190 cm in height and 190.5 cm in width, presenting a substantial square format typical of significant group portraits. As a group portrait, the painting depicts five specific individuals: Vilhelm Hammershøi, Louis Levy, Sven Lange, Hans Koch, and the artist himself, arranged within an interior setting.
The medium and scale allow for a detailed rendering of the figures and their social interaction, characteristic of Paulsen's approach to capturing domestic gatherings of the era.
History & Provenance
The painting was executed in 1915 by Julius Paulsen as a group portrait, depicting several of his acquaintances including Vilhelm Hammershøi, Louis Levy, Sven Lange and Hans Koch. It was created as an oil on canvas work measuring 190 cm by 190.5 cm. Following its completion, the artwork entered the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on view. The piece is recorded in the museum’s catalogue as part of the institution’s holdings, confirming its provenance from the artist to the museum’s ownership.
A Party in the Artist's Home is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The work, an oil painting on canvas created in 1915, measures 190 cm in height and 190.5 cm in width. It depicts a group portrait featuring figures such as Vilhelm Hammershøi, Louis Levy, Sven Lange, and Hans Koch.
The provided sources do not contain information regarding a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any exhibitions where the painting has been displayed.
Context
The painting A Party in the Artist's Home, executed in oil in 1915, is recorded as both a portrait and a group portrait in Julius Paulsen’s catalogue. It depicts the artists Vilhelm Hammershøi, Louis Levy, Sven Lange and Hans Koch, illustrating the close ties among Danish painters of the era. The composition exemplifies Paulsen’s focus on informal gatherings of artistic circles and fits within the broader tradition of early twentieth‑century Scandinavian portraiture.
The work belongs to the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is examined as a representative piece of Danish portraiture from the 1910s.
Overview
Danish artist Julius Paulsen completed A Party in the Artist's Home in 1915, an oil painting that captures an intimate social gathering. The work features four notable figures, Hans Koch, Louis Levy, Sven Lange, and Vilhelm Hammershøi, engaged in conversation within a domestic setting. Executed with an impressionistic sensibility, the canvas offers a glimpse into a private moment, reflecting Paulsen's broader interest in portraiture and social scenes.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Julius Paulsen (22 October 1860 in Odense – 17 February 1940 in Copenhagen) was a Danish painter.
