Kurt Trampedach (13 May 1943 – 12 November 2013) was a Danish painter and sculptor.
Biography
Trampedach was born at
Hillerød
Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022)Danish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark.
History
The Royal Dani ...
from 1963 to 1969. He had his artistic breakthrough by the end of the sixties. He has often made distorted self-portraits and portraits of his own wife. Portraits of horses, and of large- headed babies were other favorite motifs. His dark style was particularly inspired by
Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
. Painting was a way for him to work with his own psyche, with frequent bouts of depression and mania. In 1983 Trampedach's studio in Copenhagen was set on fire destroying many paintings. In 1984 he received the
Eckersberg Medal
The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting.
The Ec ...
.
With his wife he moved to Sare in the French Pyrenees where he lived in a house built by himself, raising animals and painting.
In April 2002 his house and studio in France was burned down while he was in Denmark preparing an exhibition. And within a month his studio in Copenhagen was set on fire, destroying seven large paintings. Trampedach himself barely escaped the flames. Trampedach claimed that the fire in Copenhagen had been an attempt at his life by jealous colleagues. Some people claimed that he had started the fire himself, but in 2005 a French-Moroccan was sentenced for the crime in France, although the Copenhagen fires continue unresolved. After the fires he was struck by a severe depression and did not paint for the last years of his life.
Kurt Trampedach died at his home at
Statens Museum for Kunst
The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen.
The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...
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Vejle Kunstmuseum
Vejle Museum of Art ( da, Vejle Kunstmuseum) in the town centre of Vejle in southeastern Jutland, Denmark has Danish paintings and sculptures from classic modernism up until pre- COBRA on display. The museum is also home to a collection of Golden ...
Randers Kunstmuseum
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum
The ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum is an art museum in Aarhus, Denmark. The museum was established in 1859 and is the oldest public art museum in Denmark outside Copenhagen. On 7 April 2004, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum opened with exhibitions in a brand new m ...