Alfredo Andersen: a hidden treasure in the Norwegian art history

  • November 28, 2022
  • News

Credit: Mariano Garcia

The big highlight at Brazil 200 was a celebration of the paintings and adventurous life of the Brazilian-Norwegian painter Alfredo Andersen. He is less known in Norway, however, in Brazil, he has almost legendary status. On his death in 1935, he was buried at the expense of the Brazilian state, and the president gave a speech. In Curitiba, where he lived for 33 years, an art museum was named after him.

The skipper’s son from Kristiansand was born Alfred Andersen and studied art in Copenhagen. In 1891 he went on a world voyage, and the ship crashed off southern Brazil. Alfred was fascinated by the country, settled down, and had four children with the native woman Anna. As an artist, he became known as Alfredo and is referred to as “the most important foreign painter in Brazil” of his time. 

– Uncle Alfred disembarked with his easel on a foreign coast in 1892 and became the father of art and painting in Parána. This is both a life journey and a metaphor for the importance of openness. The family is grateful and happy for the opportunity the anniversary gives to showcase his art, where the human and the cultural form a bond between Norway and Brazil.

Tor Erik Jensen, Alfredo’s great-great-grandson

The exhibition “Alfredo Andersen, a Norwegian-Brazilian painter”, with artworks by the artist, and the digital installation “Introducing”, by Eliane Prolik and Larissa Schip, were inspiring attractions.

Hundreds of people visited the art exhibition, curated by Amélia Siegel Corrêa (Art historian, curator, and independent researcher), and were taken to Alfredo Andersen’s history, exploring this hidden treasure in the Norwegian art scene.

The Alfredo Andersen exhibition was made possible by the support of the Andersen family represented by Tor Erik Jensen, Ragnhild Jensen (in memorian), Sven Rudolf Peersen, Anne Jelstrup Egeland, Christian Sigmond, and Sørlandets Kunstmuseum.

Credit: Magnus Gulliksen

Watch the special report on TV2 Nyhetskanalen.

And read the review of the Art Newspaper Kunstavisen here: https://kunstavisen.no/artikkel/2022/kort-om-alfredo-andersen-1860-1935

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