Anna Louise Birgitte Syberg (7 January 1870 – 4 July 1914) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

painter. Together with her husband

Fritz Syberg Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Syberg, generally known as Fritz Syberg, (28 July 1862, Fåborg – 20 December 1939, Kerteminde) was a Danish painter and illustrator, one of the or Funen Painters (''Fynboerne'') living and working on the ...

, she was one of the Funen Painters (''Fynboerne'') who lived and worked on the island of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

. She is remembered for her lively watercolours of flower arrangements.

Biography

Anna Syberg was born in

Faaborg Faaborg or Fåborg () is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located southwest of Odense, west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly southeast of Midd ...

, Denmark. Her father was artist Peter Syrak Hansen (1833-1904). She was the sister of artist Peter Hansen (1868–1928). Anna Syberg attended the technical school in Faaborg after which she studied painting under

Ludvig Brandstrup Ludvig Brandstrup (16 August 1861 – 13 May 1935) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered above all for his equestrian statue of Christian IX in Esbjerg but was also one of the most competent portraitists of his day. Early life and education B ...

and Karl Jensen in Copenhagen. In 1882, she met Fritz Syberg who was serving an apprenticeship as a house painter with her father Peter Syrak Hansen. The two quickly fell for each other and after Anna had spent a period decorating porcelain at the

Royal Copenhagen Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory ( da, Den Kongelige Porcelænsfabrik), is a Danish manufacturer of porcelain products and was founded in Copenhagen in 1775 under the protection of Danish Dowager Queen Juliane Marie. It i ...

factory, they married in 1894 and set up home in the little village of Svanninge, just north of Faaborg. In 1902, they moved to Pilegården near

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,042 (1 January 2022).

, also on the island of

, where Anna became a close friend of

Johannes Larsen Johannes Larsen (27 December 1867 – 20 December 1961) was a Danish nature painter. Biography Larsen was born in Kerteminde on Funen, Denmark. He was the son of Jeppe Andreas L. and Vilhelmine Christine Bless. His father was a merchant. La ...

, another member of the ''Fynboerne'' group of artists. From 1910 to 1913, the family spent three years at Pisa in Italy. From 1898, Anna Syberg exhibited at Charlottenborg and in 1912 her works were presented at

Den Frie Udstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest ass ...

. She was frequently a model for her husband and appears in several of his works. During her lifetime, she received little recognition for her work, often being referred to as a flower painter. This was probably due to the fact that it was difficult for women artists to enter what was essentially a men's world.

Personal life

Anna Syberg was the mother of several children including artist

Ernst Syberg Ernst Axel Syberg (12 January 1906 – 17 August 1981) was a Danish painter who in the early 1930s associated with the artists' colony in northwestern Zealand known as the Odsherred Painters. From 1934, he was a member of Corner where he exhibited ...

(1906–1981), composer

Franz Syberg Franz Adolf Syberg (5 July 1904 - 11 December 1955) was a Danish composer. Life Syberg was born in Kerteminde, Funen, to the painters Anna and Fritz Syberg. He moved to Leipzig in 1922 where he studied musical composition and music theory at ...

(1904-1955) and actress Johanne Marie Birgitte Giersing (1896–1944). Anna Syberg died in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and was buried at Faaborg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syberg, Anna 1870 births 1914 deaths 19th-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish painters People from Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality People from Kerteminde Municipality 19th-century Danish women artists 20th-century Danish women artists Danish women painters