Art of Scandinavia

Once Upon a Time in Denmark (1x2)

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Hans Christian Andersen’s fable about the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan reflects not only his rags-to-riches experiences but also the lives of many of Denmark’s artists. Andrew Graham-Dixon is in Denmark, officially the happiest nation on earth yet one possessing dark undertones about its identity. Here he discovers the paper-cut art of Andersen, the classical sculpture of Thorvaldsen, the graphic nudes of Eckersberg, Jerichau-Bauman’s blatantly jingoistic portrait of Mother Denmark and Hammershoi’s brooding, introverted paintings. “Denmark is a mix of light and dark – bright ideals, harsh disappointment,” he concludes. But then there’s also the optimistically bright, miniature world of Legoland. Denmark emerges from modest beginnings to become one of the greatest powers and arbiters of taste in northern Europe, a story of incredible transformation befitting the homeland of the greatest fairytale spinner of them all, Hans Christian Anderson, creator of The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor's New Clothes.