Rarely displayed paintings from the private collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. now on view through November 30, 2025
Greenwich, CT…In recognition of the 150th anniversary of
Impressionism and the important contributions of Denmark’s
Skagen art colony to the groundbreaking movement, the Bruce is
presenting “The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth
Century Denmark.” Due to popular demand, the exhibition has
been extended through November 30, 2025. Organized
thematically to illuminate the virtue and beauty of labor—be it
domestic, intellectual or manual—the exhibition features a
selection of 28 rarely exhibited paintings drawn from the
collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr.
Months after the April 1874 exhibition by French Impressionists
that famously deviated from the official Paris Salon, the Danish
painter Karl Madsen (1855–1938) persuaded his friend from the
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Michael Ancher (1849–
1927), to join him in Skagen to paint life in the remote fishing village. As with the exhibition in Paris, Ancher’s arrival there marked the beginning of an artistic revolution that would upend the academic realism and traditional styles, subjects and locales that defined Danish Golden Age art.
Inspired by growing discourses around nationalism and naturalism during this period, Danish artists turned to scenes of everyday life, and especially of labor. Indeed, as Skagen developed into a thriving art colony in the late 19th century, labor had become a defining feature of Danish
painting, paving the way for other artists—including Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864–1916) and L.A. Ring (1854–1933)—to contemplate the art of work and the work of art.
Women depicted engaging in child-rearing and ordinary household
tasks — such as laundering, setting the table or mending clothes
— reflect the quiet intimacy of domestic work. Agricultural and
maritime labor, which predominated in the coastal towns where
many Danish artists lived and worked, also appear frequently in
these paintings, which serve as testaments to the strength,
endurance and respectability of local farmers, fishermen and their
families. Others capture the mental exertion required for piano
playing, reading, writing and painting, positioning artistic
creativity as its own valued form of labor. While the portraits,
landscapes and interiors on view highlight the dynamism of work
as a subject in 19th-century Danish art, they also stand as potent
reminders of the artistic labor inherent to their making.
“We are honored to have Ambassador Loeb’s collection on view at the Bruce for the first time since 2005,” notes Margarita Karasoulas, curator of art at the Bruce. “After serving as the ambassador to Denmark from 1981 to 1983, he amassed the
largest—and certainly one of the most distinctive—
collections of Danish art outside of Denmark and
Scandinavia. This timely exhibition coincides with the 150th
anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris, and
it explores a salient theme—labor and representations of
work—in the oeuvres of Danish painters. Many of these
artists participated in the Skagen artists’ colony, which has
an interesting parallel to the Cos Cob artists’ colony in
Greenwich and the Bruce Museum’s own collection of
Impressionist landscapes, which will also be on view this fall
in an adjacent gallery.”
“I am thrilled to work with the Bruce Museum to mount this wonderful exhibition of work from my collection,” says Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. “One of my longtime goals has been to raise the profile of Danish art both abroad and especially here in the United States. I hope this exhibition will introduce visitors to the unique subjects and modes of painting that originated in Denmark in the 19th century.”
“The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark” is on view through November 30, 2025. The exhibition is organized by the Bruce Museum and curated by Margarita Karasoulas, curator of art, and Jordan Hillman, curatorial associate. Support for “The Art of
Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark” is generously provided by Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Humanities and the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund.
ABOUT THE BRUCE MUSEUM
Located in Bruce Park and overlooking Greenwich Harbor, the Bruce Museum is a world-class institution that offers a changing array of exceptional exhibitions and educational programs that cultivate discovery and wonder through the power of art and science. Ahead of its time for taking this multidisciplinary approach over a century ago, the Bruce Museum is at the heart of contemporary efforts to bring together art, science and education to spark conversation, connection and creativity. The Museum welcomes over 100,000 visitors annually, playing an integral role in the area’s cultural life.
The first exhibition at the Bruce Museum took place in 1912 and featured works by members of the Greenwich Society of Artists, several of whom were part of the Cos Cob Art Colony. Their works formed the nucleus of the Museum’s art holdings and continue to be a strength of the collection, which has expanded to focus on global art from 1850 to the present. Other strengths include Ancient Chinese sculpture, Native American Art, the Hudson River School, modernist works on paper and photography. The natural science collections include extensive holdings of regional vertebrates and insects, one of the most comprehensive collections of Connecticut Valley fossils from the Triassic and Jurassic Periods, and an exceptional collection of minerals from around the globe. In all, the community, through its generosity, has built the Museum’s varied collections of art and natural science to over 30,000 objects. In 2023, the Museum, which is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, opened a new building which doubled the size of the museum and tripled the exhibition spaces. The new Bruce features state-of-the-art exhibition, education and community spaces, including: a changing gallery for art and five new permanent galleries in the William L. Richter Art Wing; a changing gallery for science; a permanent science exhibition, “Natural Cycles Shape Our Land;” three classrooms in the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Education Wing; and a café, auditorium and grand hall. When the outdoor spaces are completed, the Bruce campus will feature a sculpture lined, landscaped walking path and inviting spaces for relaxation and contemplation—natural enhancements to Bruce Park and an anchoring connection to Greenwich Avenue. brucemuseum.org
