A native of Copenhagen, Demark, Hans Meyer Petersen (b. 1937) first began painting and drawing at age 11. He is a self-taught painter and graphic artist with a greatly evolving style inspired by post-war surrealism and abstract expressionism. When Petersen first made his artistic debut at age eighteen in Denmark’s Galerie Montmartre, he created a series of tight, concrete paintings. The artist worked for a short period with constructive paintings before finding a more lyrical and abstract style. Petersen also creates graphic works composed of several watercolors that are poetic, light, and delicate in tone. Seeking to convey original beauty and establish connections between humanity, nature, and the cosmos, he constantly experiments with materials, shapes, and colors in his artworks.
After graduating from high school, Petersen regularly frequented Paris, France, and joined Phases, an international movement founded in 1951 by French poet and art critic Eduoard Jaguer to promote surrealism and new forms of abstract art. He spent six years in Verdelot after entering a contract with Galerie Bellechasse and then returned to Denmark. Petersen’s artworks have been showcased in galleries, art fairs, and museums throughout Europe and the United States, namely the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. His work was selected for the 1990 Mostly Mozart Festival poster, and he was prominently exhibited during Art Paris, an annual art fair hosted at the Louvre Museum, in 2001. Petersen was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters from the Ministry of Culture at the French embassy in Copenhagen. His work is included in public collections such as the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen Denmark; Vejle Museum of Art, Jutland, Denmark; and Helsingør City Museum, Denmark.
Headshot photography courtesy of Hans Meyer Petersen
Website
http://www.hansmeyerpetersen.dk
