Ole Schwalbe

Born in the Brønshøj district of Copenhagen, Schwalbe was self-taught as a painter but was trained as a printmaker from 1945 to 1950. He first exhibited at the Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling (Artists Autumn Exhibition) in 1945 when he was only 16.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon/Kunst_og_kultur/Billedkunst/Maler/Ole_Schwalbe|title=Ole Schwalbe|dictionary=Dansk Biografisk Leksikon|accessdate=10 November 2014 |language=Danish}}

Schwalbe was one of the Linien painters who in 1956 initiated the second generation of Danish Constructivism which they called concrete realism.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Kunst_og_kultur/Billedkunst/Danmark_1910-55/Ole_Schwalbe|title=Ole Schwalbe|encyclopedia=Den Store Danske|accessdate=10 November 2014 |language=Danish}}{{cite web|url=http://www.kunst-paa-arbejdspladsen.dk/node/1216|title=Udstilling 204 - Ole Schwalbe|publisher=kpa|accessdate=10 November 2014 |language=Danish}} After experimenting with colour, in 1953 he decided to limit himself to black and white, forming positive and negative segments of circles like the marks made by a paperclip. In the late 1950s, he added red to the black and white in order to represent the three most important aspects of existence: life and death, body, and soul. Around 1960, his black and white developed into shades of grey as in Signet 1 (1960) but then he began to reintroduce colour with a deep blue in Entre chien et loup (1965).

He believed in total interaction between art and architecture, as in his decoration of Brandbjerg School (1970) when he introduced artistic features which were integrated during the building's construction. Other building decorations included Sukkertoppen Forsamlinghus (1972), the Danish Embassy in London (1977) and Holstebro's library (1981) and town hall (1986). One of his few sculptures is Kuglen in the entrance hall of Holstebro Town Hall.

In 1966, Schwalbe received the academy's gold medal and, in 1978, the Thorvaldsen Medal.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Olesen|first1=Lene|last2=Schwalbe|first2=Ole|title=Schwalbe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M94bRQAACAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Rhodos|isbn=978-87-7245-537-2}}
• {{cite book|last=Schwalbe|first=Ole|title=Fra kubisme til informel kunst|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dDXpGAAACAAJ|year=1961|publisher=Borgen}}
• {{cite book|last=Schwalbe|first=Ole|title=Se på kunst|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fDb9XwAACAAJ|year=1972|publisher=Borgen}}

• [https://www.kulturarv.dk/kid/SoegKunstnerVaerker.do?kunstnerId=968 Illustrated list from Kunstindeks Danmark of works by Ole Schwalbe in Danish museums]
• [http://www.kunst-paa-arbejdspladsen.dk/udstilling/1216/vaerksfortegnelse Selection of Schwalbe's works from Kunst på arbejda]

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Category:1929 births

Category:1990 deaths

Category:20th-century Danish painters

Category:Painters from Copenhagen

Category:Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal

Category:Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts