Bente Christensen-Ernst

• Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, and in Istanbul and Antioch (Antakya), Turkey
• Member of the Society of Danish Artists under the Royal Academy
• Born in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1941, autodidact
• Member of the Danish Society of Artists affiliated to the Royal Academy
• Married to the translator and writer Jørgen Christensen-Ernst
• Collaborates with Galleri Christian Dam Copenhagen and Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark

One-man shows

 Studyo Fabrika, Ankara, Turkey 1984

 Galeri Black & White, Ankara, Turkey 1985

 Galleri Sommersko, Copenhagen, Denmark 1990

 Galleri 11, Danish National Television 1992

 Gallerihuset, Copenhagen, Denmark 1992

 Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 1994

 Galleri Torso, Odense, Denmark 1994

 Galleri C, Århus, Denmark 1995

 Galleri Torso, Odense, Denmark 1996

 Gallerihuset, Copenhagen, Denmark 1996

 Asmali Mescit Sanat Galerisi, Istanbul, Turkey 1997

 Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 1998

 Galleri Torso, Odense, Denmark 1998

 Christian Dam Galleries, Copenhagen, Denmark 1999

 Kastrupgårdsamlingen, Copenhagen, Denmark 1999

 C.A.M. Contemporary Art Marketing, Istanbul, Turkey 2000

 Galleri Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 2001

 C.A.M Contemporary Art Marketing, Istanbul, Turkey 2001

 Millî Reasürans Galerisi, Istanbul, Turkey 2002

 Christian Dam Galleries, Copenhagen, 2003

 C.A.M. - Contemporary Art Marketing, Istanbul 2004

 Galleri Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 2004

 C.A.M. - Contemporary Art Marketing, Istanbul 2005

 C.A.M. - Contemporary Art Marketing, Istanbul 2007

 Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 2009

 Görüntü Sanat Galerisi, Adana, Turkey 2010

Joint exhibitions

 Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark 1989

 The Easter Exhibition, Århus, Denmark 1990

 Vestslesvig Art Society, Tonder, Denmark 1990

 Vestslesvig Art Society, Rensburgh, Germany 1990

 The Autumn Exhibition, "Den Frie", Copenhagen, Denmark 1990

 Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark 1991

 Charlottenborg Autumn Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark 1991

 "Spejlbilleder", Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød, Denmark 1992

 "Spejlbilleder", Brandts Klædefabrik, Odense, Denmark 1993

 The Danish Art Fair, Copenhagen, Denmark 1993

 "Tyve Veje til Gåsepigen", Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 1994

 ART-Copenhagen - Forum for Modern Art, Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark 1994

 "Hundred Years of Danish Authors", Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød, Denmark 1994

 ART-Copenhagen - Forum for Modern Art, Forum, Copenhagen. Denmark 1995

 Galerie Bollhagen, Kunstcentrum, Worpswede, Germany 1995

 "25 Years on the Job", Jyllandsposten, Copenhagen, Denmark 1995

 "Small Canvasses", Gallerihuset, Copenhagen, Denmark 1996

 "Danish Portraits 1985 - 1995", The Øregaard Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark 1996

 ART-Copenhagen - Forum for Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark 1996

 PRO, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark 1997

 Art Fair, Herning, Denmark 1998

 MuséETT, Kristinahamn, Sweden 1998

 Art Copenhagen, Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark 1998

 Galeri Yantra, Istanbul, Turkey 1999

 PRO, Filosofgangen, Odense, Denmark 1999

 Art Fair, Herning, Denmark 2000

 Skive Museum of Art, Denmark 2000

 Art Copenhagen, Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark 2000

 Salon d'Automne, Paris, France 2000

 C.A.M., Contemporary Art Marketing, "Nudes", Istanbul, Turkey 2000

 Salon d'Automne, Paris, France 2001

 Skovhuset, Værløse, Denmark 2001

 PRO, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark 2002

 Rundetårn, "Istanbul", Copenhagen, Denmark 2002

 PRO, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark 2003

 "Danish Summer", Gallery Christophersen, Copenhagen, Denmark 2003

 "Meeting Point", C.A.M. - Contemporary Art Marketing, Istanbul, Turkey 2004

 "Two Worlds Meet", Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg, Denmark 2004

 Pakhuset, Nykøbing Sjælland, Denmark 2004

 PRO, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark 2004

 "Frederiksberg på Plakaten",Frederiksberg Municipality, Copenhagen, Denmark 2004

 "Eight from PRO", Travelling exhibition arranged by The Association of Danish Art Societies, Denmark

 PRO, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark 2005

 ART-Copenhagen - Forum for Modern Art, Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark 2005

 Istanbul Art Fair, Istanbul 2005

 Natür mort, Galerist, Istanbul 2006

 "European Reflections" - PRO 2006, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen 2006

 Portalen, Greve, Denmark 2007

 The St. Petersborg Biennale, St. Petersburg, Russia 2008

 Contemporary Istanbul (with portrait of Hüseyin Alptekin) 2008

 "25 Years" - Siyah Beyaz Galerisi, Ankara & Istanbul 2009

 "Kunst og Bæredygtighed", Frederiksberg Municipality, Denmark 2009

Museums

 The National Gallery on Frederiksborg, Denmark (with a portrait of the poet Henrik Nordbrandt)

Portraits

 Henrik Nordbrandt, poet

 Ove Sprogø, actor

 Hans-Ole Skovgaard, chairman of the Association of Danish Engineers

 Knud Akselsen, former mayor in Elsinore

 Finn Nørbygaard, entertainer

 Alex Steen, art critic

 Thomas Kluge, painter

 Jes Høeg, former football player on the Danish national team

 Mehmet C. Garan, general manager of Fuji Film, Istanbul

 Esma Edgü, designer, Istanbul

 Mary, Princess of Denmark

 Orhan Pamuk, Turkish Nobel prize winner in literature

 Defne, daughter of Merve and Kagan Gürsel, Istanbul

 Sinan, son of Αyşe Ataman, Istanbul

 Nina, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Kınay, Istanbul

 Peter Bjerregaard, chariman of the Danish Shipowners Association

 Ηüseyin Alptekin, late Turkish Artist

Decoration, illustrations &c

 Café Victor, Copenhagen 1993

 "Dansk Standart", The DS-catalogue 1996

 The calendar of Gallerihuset for 1996

 "Danske Portrætter 1985 - 1995", Gyldendal 1996

 "Litteraturens Veje", Gads Forlag 1996

 Nestlé Denmark, 1997

 The calendar of Chr. Hansen's Laboratories for 1998

 The Artist of the Year, Mediolog, Denmark 2000

 The calendar of R82 2001

 "Portrættører," The National Gallery on Frederiksborg, Denmark 2003

 "Danske Portrætter," Aschehoug Dansk Forlag 2003

 The Art Calendar of C.A.M. – Contemporary Art Marketing 2006

 Restaurant Zazie, Teşvikiye, Istanbul 2007

 

Article by Danish art critic:

"Realisme Orientale"

The universe of Bente Christensen-Ernst

"Melancholy is as seductive as Ecstasy", Mason Cooley

Realism is not just realism. There is an immense difference between the objective realism of the Danish author Henrik Pontoppidan (1857-1943, Nobel Prize winner in literature) who used to "submit problems to debate" and the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The same is true when speaking of other art forms: The early dramas of Henrik Ibsen and the cinematic art of Ingmar Bergman in contrast with the videos of Shirin Neshat and the films of Pedro Almadovar. The first two carry the stamp of Nordic serenity, rationality and stringency in narrative; the second exhibit strong passion, mystery and a complicated (melo)dramatic plot. The first two try to get the skeletons out of the closet while the others keep them as an integrated part of life.

When looking at the art of Bente Christensen-Ernst one is not left in doubt. Although being a Danish citizen, her realism is the southern type. Even when, with her sharp satiric approach in her paintings, she criticizes the social conditions in Denmark - especially the integration controversy - her realism is never one-dimensional but rather playfully ambiguous. The reason behind this is found in her colours. In contrast to the cool and bright colours that have been typical for North European painting since the Dutch painters in the 17th century, the colours of Bente Christensen-Ernst are palpable, glowing and smouldering. They nearly feel like velvet. These are colours that have been influenced by a totally different landscape, a totally different nature and a totally different mentality than those of Scandinavia where light does not permit the same saturation in colours as it does down south.

When speaking about what the art of Bente Christensen-Ernst is not, one also has to mention Pop Art. At first glance the saturated colours, the sharp outlines and the graphically confident composition might call to mind American Pop Artists such as Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist and Mel Ramos. There is however a striking difference in her approach to the subject. Generally speaking, Pop Art is optimistic, rational and deliberately anti-narrative while the paintings of Bente Christensen-Ernst are narrative, enigmatic and rather melancholic. When Bente Christensen-Ernst paints a pear, a couple of cherries, a rose or a fish, they do not appear as if in an advertisement. On the contrary, she elevates them to an otherworldly sphere where they come to appear preternatural. It is as if she is painting the idea of the flower, of the fruit or of the fish just as a poet in his poetry attempts to catch the fickleness of life or the memory of the scent of a woman he once loved.

The paintings of Bente Christensen-Ernst elevate the familiar to a transcendent reality where flower and fruit turn into human beings and vice versa. This is a world where physical pleasure derived from the sensuous aspects of life is mixed with sadness at the shortness of our lifespan. This is a world where beauty is inextricably and inescapably bound up with pain and where ecstasy and melancholy are two sides of the same coin. This approach to life and to art is far from that of Scandinavia. But this is also how I view Bente Christensen-Ernst: She is an "Easternised" Scandinavian. And this is meant as a compliment.

Tom Jørgensen, author and art critic, BA in art history