Christine Swane – A Versatile Artist at Nivaagaards Malerisamling

Christine Swane’s art across different media

The exhibition brings together works from across Christine Swane’s artistic career. Her paintings are shown alongside ceramics and textile art, revealing the connections between her different forms of expression. Nature and her immediate surroundings appear again and again as subjects, interpreted in different ways depending on the material and technique.

Colour, form and everyday subjects

Christine Swane had a distinctive feel for colour and often worked with simple forms and strong colour combinations. Houses, plants, flowers and everyday objects could become almost abstract compositions in her paintings. In her ceramics, she worked with animal motifs and geometric forms, while in her textiles she explored patterns through patchwork, embroidery and printing.

Art and everyday life in Birkerød

In her home in Birkerød, Christine Swane made art a natural part of everyday life. She used her own ceramic pieces, textiles, coloured glass and plants from the garden when creating compositions for her paintings. Her home became a workshop, source of inspiration and exhibition space – and her different artistic practices became closely intertwined.

The exhibition also offers an insight into the making of the large mosaic Christine Swane created for Damsøbadet in Frederiksberg. She was 72 when she took on mosaic art, a technique she had not worked with before.

An artist who followed her own path

Christine Swane grew up in Kerteminde among the circle of Funen artists that included Johannes and Alhed Larsen, but she developed her own artistic direction early on. She trained as a painter, but throughout her life continued to explore new ways of working, later becoming a ceramicist and textile artist as well. She remained artistically active almost until her death in 1960.

Christine Swane at two museums

In autumn 2026, you can explore Christine Swane’s art at both Nivaagaards Malerisamling and the Hirschsprung Collection. Nivaagaard presents the solo exhibition Christine Swane – En mangfoldig ener, while Fynboerne – Kunsten frem for alt! at the Hirschsprung Collection brings together Christine and Sigurd Swane, Alhed and Johannes Larsen, and Anna and Fritz Syberg.

When you visit one of the two exhibitions, you receive a voucher that can be used at the other museum. There, the voucher can be exchanged for a postcard as a small gift.