What do you know about Scandinavian art?
Well, I’m a non practicing art historian (I have the degree but no job), and I knew shamefully NOTHING about Scandinavian art. What’s even more shameful: My ancestors are Danish!
I happened upon The Hope Gallery’s website one day, and discovered that right here in my city, there is a gallery devoted to Scandinavian art.
“Our vision is to inform and inspire the public with the forgotten treasures of Scandinavian art from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. With a special focus on Danish paintings, we hope to educate the world on its essentially undiscovered/undervalued artists who were overshadowed and more or less forgotten due to French Impressionism and Modernism.”
This lovely gallery in downtown Salt Lake City might just be my new favorite place ever. I haven’t visited the Park City or Provo locations yet, though!
The gallery itself is gorgeous. But it could be in a rusted tin shack and I would still adore every ounce of it just for the beautiful paintings.
Elizabeth Baumanm Reading From the Scriptures
The Violinist Anna Sophie Petersen
A Visit in the Studio Bertha Wegmann
Did you notice the names of those painters? Female! It’s painfully difficult to find women painters in history (or women in history- period), but I found several beautiful paintings by women throughout the gallery.
In addition, there’s an entire room devoted to Carl Bloch’s lovely (and famous) paintings from the New Testament.
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Thanks for this blog post. I visited the Hope Gallery in Provo and saw a painting by Arnold Frieberg with Mormon Missionaries converting saints in Denmark. The girls in the painting shared the names of our daughters, who were named after their Scandinavian heritage. We later purchased it but have not framed it yet. It reminds me how much I love it and want to pull it out and display it for them.
Now, I can appreciate that kind of art!
Something I can recognize and can probably figure out the meaning/symbolism. 
Thanks for the kind words about our gallery and museum. It was very nice meeting you and we hope to see you again soon!
Sign me up for your next trip. The paintings are gorgeous. I love Elizabeth Baumanm’s “Reading from the Scriptures”. Truly beautiful.
Beautiful paintings! I didn’t know this place was in Salt Lake. I need to go visit. My ancestors are from Denmark also. Too bad I didn’t inherit their artistic talent! Maybe it skips generations!
That place looks amazing! For me, art galleries are so relaxing. Spending the day there is like getting a massage!