Self-Portrait at Spurveskjul

Vilhelm Hammershøi

1911 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

This is one of a group of self-portraits that Hammershøi painted in 1911 while staying at Spurveskjul (Sparrow’s Hideaway), his rented summer home near Copenhagen. By showing his left hand raised as if painting, the right-handed artist makes plain that he created his self-portrait by observing his reflection in a mirror. The sunlit door and window are two of the signature motifs that defined Hammershøi’s celebrated interior scenes. The reworked contours of the figure and the mauve underpaint visible in the face attest to the experimental spirit and bold handling that he cultivated in his late self-portraits.

Artist

Vilhelm Hammershøi

Date

1911

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust, in honor of Keith Christiansen, and in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2020