Established 2002

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Henry Heerup, 4.11.1907-30.5.1993, painter, sculptor. Henry Heerup was a student at Prinsesse Charlottesgade and Skt. Hansgade schools 1914–22 and then took various apprenticeships, including as a lithographer, bronze caster and stonemason 1922–27. From 1927 to 1932 he was a student at the Academy of Fine Arts' painting schools with Aksel Jørgensen and Ejnar Nielsen and for a short time at the sculpture school. In 1929 he made his debut with a solo exhibition and in the following years he exhibited as a guest at various Copenhagen exhibitions. In 1942 Heerup became a member of Corner and the Autumn Exhibition, in 1943–49 of the Autumn Exhibition and from 1949 of the Decembristerne, while he was also affiliated with the art magazines Linien, Helhesten and Cobra. Among the numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, mention should be made of the Cobra exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1949, the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1950, the Cobra exhibition in 1951 in the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Liège and the Palazzo Grazzi in Venice, 1960. Furthermore: The Danish House in Paris in 1963, the World Exhibition in New York in 1964–65, the Biennale in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1965, the Moderna Museum in Stockholm in 1967, Louisiana in 1967 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary, the Biennale in Venice in 1962 and 1972 and, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary, Nikolai Church Building in 1977, organized by the Workers' Art Association.

Heerup has also created a large number of decorations and installations, the most important being Tivoli's playground, 1958, the Nurses' House, 1962, Vesterbro's youth center, 1963, wall decorations for Løjtegårdsskolen in Tårnby, 1964, Louisiana's Heerup garden, 1964, the Radium station in Copenhagen, 1965, Kampsax college in Lundtofte, 1970 and Kofoed's school on Amager, 1976. With incredible diligence, since the talented drawings of his boyhood, Heerup has shaped his perception of life in a symbolic language that shows consistency and clarity.

In one way he appears traditional, in another quite innovative, for example with his trash models. He never forgets to highlight the unavoidable conditions of life and the simple values ​​associated with them. Heerup's position in Danish art life probably also has something to do with his modesty and social awareness, his openness and of course with his richly varied artistic expression. Through his almost boundless imagination he brings to life the untapped sensory sensations of his visual audience and opens up possibilities for cultivating an emotionally richer life. In his sculptures he has shown how beautifully it is possible to conjure up a motif while at the same time preserving the nature of the stone; in the softer types of stone it is seen how well he also masters his tools, hammer and chisel. When he has been working with his brushes on canvas, masonite or whatever else he may come across, the result appears in a strongly contemporary language, and there is a rich character in colours and materials.

Henry Heerup uses old and creates new symbols himself. Life's great wheel of fortune also drives the little mill on Chios – he lets the gag ring under the bell's skirt – or transforms himself into a lyre-box man who makes a sylph dance out from the edge of the frame. He can be a Hercules toiling away at one of the dozen feats or put on a fool's hat and swing his scepter over a puzzle of female parts. If he puts on a cap and a garbage man's blouse, we know that he will pull a lesson from the garbage box about the wasted opportunities – that we let pass us by. The rich linocut On the Road of Life from 1960 is particularly representative of his visual art. Within the almost square frame, a line game takes place that leads around to a series of symbols that surround the two main characters, the woman surrounded by gentleness, the man by determination, but the heart is in the right place, in the middle. The bicycle wheels are like a set of glands that ensure that the life-giving red color is sprayed out of the tube and sets the movement in motion. On the handlebars we find a horseshoe and cross, happiness and faith, over the hand the female slot machine that provides extra traction when you are lucky enough to be able to travel under a lucky star. Behind the cheerfulness and jokes, there is a deep seriousness. Heerup puts death on the back of the big garbage truck of life.

Among the honors Heerup has received are the Eckersberg Medal in 1958, the Free Exhibition Grant in 1959, the Thorvaldsen Medal in 1967, the Prince Eugen Medal in 1971 and the LO Culture Prize in 1984. In 1977 Heerup became an honorary member of the Danish Academy of Fine Arts and in 1987 of the Danish Graphic Artists' Association.