The Glyptotek Wins Art Critic Award

Published 9 June 2022

We are delighted and proud to have won the Art Critic Award for the best exhibition of the year –  Paul Gauguin – Why Are You Angry? – which ran at the Glyptotek from November 2020 to August 2021.

“It is a great honour to receive this distinguished recognition for an exhibition that helped set the agenda in terms of public discourse and, on the basis of a presentation of a diverse universe of voices, media and historical periods, dared to ask a number of difficult questions about our cultural heritage – something that has been historically avoided,” says Anna Kærsgaard Gregersen, the curator of the exhibition.

What the jury said

“The exhibition was a long-awaited critical presentation to a broad public of art, which, from a contemporary perspective, embodies certain awkward and complex elements. By directly addressing the problematic elements of Gauguin’s work in Tahiti, and by contextualising his Western gaze with cultural-historical material, contemporary artists and poets – such as Yuki Kihara, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Henri Hiro etc.  – the exhibition created an ambitious forum for reflection, at the same time incorporating issues of how we should look at history today, rather than simply rejecting the unpleasant past.

“In 2021, we finally had the opportunity to see a number of exhibitions at Denmark’s major museums, which shed critical light on current, multifaceted discussions about transnational narratives of history and identity. Paul Gauguin – Why Are You Angry? took an in-depth look at this age of unrest and upheaval and, on the basis of an incredibly successful interpretation/public engagement strategy, provided visitors with food for thought and discussion, kindling curiosity about new interpretations of history.” Mathias Kryger on behalf of the Art Critic Award.

About Paul Gauguin – Why Are You Angry?

The special exhibition Paul Gauguin – Why Are You Angry? revisited the narrative of one of the most mythologised figures in French art, focusing particularly on the works the artist created in Tahiti. It shed new light on Gauguin by juxtaposing his works with historical material from both Gauguin’s past and present and, most strikingly, with international contemporary art. The featured artists were Yuki Kihara (WS/JP), Nashashibi/Skaer (UK), Selina Tusitala Marsh (NZ), Angela Tiatia (NZ/AUS) and the late Tahitian activist/multi-artist Henri Hiro (1944-1990).

Read more about the exhibition

About the Art Critic Award

The Art Critic Award is awarded each year to initiatives in the Danish art word, nominated by the members of the Danish Art Critics’ Association. The association has been awarding the prize since 1994 with the aim of celebrating art and putting art and professional art criticism on the agenda. The price is also worth DKK 10,000.

The Art Critic Award is funded with a grant from 15. Juni Fonden.

About the museum

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek was founded by the brewer, Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914), who was one of the great industrial magnates of the 19th century and the greatest art patron Denmark has seen.

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The Glyptotek’s superlative collection contains both art and archaeological objects and offers ever new perspectives on life, culture and civilization through a time span of 6,000 years.