artist: Jack Kampmann (Danish 1914-1989)
medium: oil on canvas
dimensions: 35 x 27 cm canvas / 55 x 37 cm frame size (approx)
signed
circa 1960s/70s
presented in its original frame with age related wear and patina
AU $2750 (approx US $1785 / 1530 EUROS / 263,500 yen / 1320 GBP - for exact current conversion visit xe.com)
artist biography
Jack (Ebbe Willemoes) Kampmann born in London on 19 November, 1914 to Danish parents. He was a Danish painter and graphic artist,
Kampmann spent part of his childhood in the United States before before moving to Denmark with his parents in the late 1920s. He studied the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (Kunstakademiet) in Copenhagen from 1933 to 34 where he studied under Sigurd Wandel.
In the late 1930s, Kampmann experimented briefly with non-objective painting but maintained a strong interest in figurative work. His career was interrupted during the Second World War, when—motivated by his antifascist convictions—he enlisted as a volunteer in the British Army. After the war, he became a member of the artists’ association Kammeraterne (The Comrades) in 1947.
In 1948, Kampmann moved to the Faroe Islands, where he lived until 1964. It was here that his artistic voice fully matured. He found lasting inspiration in the dramatic Faroese landscapes, which he rendered with a structural clarity reminiscent of Cézanne—emphasizing firm compositional forms, strong contours, and a dynamic play between muted and vivid colours. His portraiture shared the same sense of solidity and psychological presence. During his time in the Faroes, Kampmann not only produced significant works but also became an influential figure for the local art scene, helping to shape a new generation of Faroese painters.
Returning to Denmark in the mid-1960s, Kampmann spent the last 25 years of his life continuing to paint, as well as producing woodcuts, lithographs, and etchings. His works include Opstilling, Vestmanna (1948), Landskab, la Colle (1953, Statens Museum for Kunst), Selvportræt (1957, Randers Kunstmuseum), and Bedding I (1958, Trapholt). He also carried out public commissions, including decorations for schools in Glibre and Tofte on the Faroes.
Kampmann exhibited widely throughout his career. He participated in the Artists’ Autumn Exhibition (Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling, 1935–38), Kammeraterne (1947–65, later commemorative shows), and the Artists’ Spring Exhibition (Den Frie Udstilling). His work was also shown internationally, including at Liljevalchs Konsthall in Stockholm (1961) and Bergen Kunstforening (1970). Solo exhibitions were held at Winkels Kunsthandel in Copenhagen (1935), Galleri Birch (1956), Lunds Konsthall (1962), and Galleri Knud Grothe (1980s). A major posthumous retrospective was presented at Listasavn Føroya (National Gallery of the Faroe Islands) in 1992.
He passed away in Denmark on 9 December 1989. His legacy endures through his role as a formative figure in modern Faroese art and his distinctive synthesis of Nordic landscape traditions with a structural modernist approach.