Alexej Jawlensky Exhibition - Louisiana Museum, Denmark

Must see show - Alexej Jawlensky exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark

Alexej Jawlensky (1864-1941) was a leading figure in many European avant-garde art movements of the early 20th century. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, is currently showing a stunning collection of Jawlensky’s paintings. 

The Louisiana Museum Alexej Jawlensky exhibition traces the artist’s journey during the last two decades of his life, where he developed his own distinctive style. The exhibition displays a variety of works, ranging from vivid landscapes to subtle, thoughtful meditations on portraiture. This collection eloquently showcases the artistic development of one of the lesser-known but still hugely influential expressionist artists of the early 20th century. 

“I knew that I must paint not what I saw, but only what was in me, in my soul.” - Alexej Jawlensky.

Alexej Jawlensky – An overlooked expressionist master

Despite being regarded as a modern master by art critics, art historians and collectors, Jawlensky is often overshadowed by his more famous contemporaries such as Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, and Henri Matisse. However, Jawlensky’s artwork is now receiving recognition and acclaim from the general public and mainstream media.  

Born into a military Russian family in 1864, Jawlensky chose not to pursue a regimental career and instead immersed himself in art. After studying at the St. Petersburg Art Academy, Jawlensky relocated to Munich, where he studied with luminaries such as Wassily Kandinsky.
 

An exhibition that explores Jawlensky’s artistic development 

The Louisiana Museum Alexej Jawlensky exhibition is arranged in three sections. Each section follows the stylistic development of the artist during the final twenty years of his life. More than 60 works are on display. Artworks have been carefully sourced from various renowned European museums as well as from private collections. The Alexej Jawlensky exhibition was curated by Mathias Ussing Seeberg, who chose to focus on the artist’s expressionist period. 

The first section of the exhibition focuses on Jawlensky's contributions to the art scene in Munich during the early 1900s. As his studies of art progressed and his love for painting deepened, Jawlensky created stunning landscapes before shifting his attention to portraiture. 

The second section of the exhibition showcases a series of paintings Jawlensky created while in exile in Switzerland during the First World War. As Jawlensky did not have an artist’s studio at this time, he concentrated his artistic efforts on painting the view from his window. The resulting artworks are known as Variation: Dämmerung (Twilight). These works display Jawlensky's increasing fascination with repeating motifs and images. They are often seen by art historians and critics as being a breakthrough period in Jawlensky's artistic development.  

As the artist refined the depiction of the view from his window, his unconscious interpretation of it gradually took over. As the series progresses, the paintings cease to be connected to reality and instead follow their own inherent logic. 

Jawlensky's artistic output culminated in the 1930s with his final series of works known as the Meditations. Wracked with arthritis, Jawlensky moved back to Germany and began painting a repeating series of the same face. Each work consists of a stylised face defined by broad black brushstrokes with varying colour combinations. 
 

Exhibition details - Alexej Jawlensky exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art