Despair

This is an important addition to the known works of Nordic female artists at the turn of the last century. Alongside Jenna Bauck (1840-1926), with whom she shared a studio, Wegmann lived in Paris from 1880-83. This picture is reminiscent of the bohemian, marginalised existence encountered in Montmartre. In a domestic interior, a scene of high drama is enacted: the woman’s crumpled shirt articulates her torment. Female artists tended to concentrate on domestic scenes but rarely have they been painted with such emotive empathy. Wegmann exhibited at the Salon in Paris, but returned to Denmark in 1883 when she was awarded the Thorvaldsen medal for painting. She was the first woman to be elected to the Plenary Assembly of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. She exhibited widely in Scandinavia and across Europe. After her death, a foundation was established in her name to support young impoverished female artists.