Artists

Vilhelm Hammershøi

Press release

We inaugurate our new gallery in Basel at Luftgässlein 4 with the exhibition ‘Vilhelm Hammershøi. Silence.’ Curated by art historian Dr. Felix Krämer, a leading expert on Hammershøi, it is the first ever solo exhibition of the celebrated 19th-century Danish artist in Switzerland, bringing together 18 works from private collections, some of which have rarely been exhibited before.
 

The exhibition is the first in the gallery’s new space in Basel’s historic central cultural district, directed by Carlo Knöll. Based in Basel, Knöll joined Hauser & Wirth as Senior Director in September 2023 and brings his expertise of modern and historical masters in the secondary market to the gallery. ‘Vilhelm Hammershøi. Silence’ will be accompanied by a catalogue by Hauser & Wirth Publishers, featuring essays from the curator Dr. Felix Krämer and art historian and writer Florian Illies (author of ‘Love in a Time of Hate’ and ‘1913: The Year Before the Storm’).

Born in 1864, Hammershøi’s timeless paintings defy categorization, visually bridging the art of the Old Masters with that of the modern era. His remarkably modernist sensibility continues to capture the imaginations of contemporary audiences from beyond his native Denmark, with major international retrospectives and exhibitions over the last 20 years, including shows at The Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK (2008), Kunsthalle München, Munich, Germany (2012) and Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Japan (2020).