21/06/2026
Over the summer, SPECTA presents a series of works by Poul Pedersen.
Poul Pedersen became known as the 'Letter Painter' after his long project "The Stolen Alphabet" and a larger number of works where words and play with the components of words, the letters, were a sharp focus.
Throughout his career, Poul Pedersen has painted a series of portraits. Again, it was the play with letters as a series of signs that was in focus, and thus a portrait of, for example, Hanne, was a painting that simply consisted of a composition of the letters of the name. Poul Pedersen's portraits have almost always been portraits of women. An exception is the work TRIP-TY-KON. Portrait of F.B. (Frances Bacon), which can also be seen in this summer's feature. Here, across three canvases, the typography stands as very tightly painted letters that dissolve downwards. As a combination of Poul Pedersen's own clear painted letters and a more dissolved, almost liquid style.
Poul Pedersen was born in Denmark, but lived and worked in Paris since the 1970s. He was a member of the Danish artists association Den Frie.
From 1996, Poul Pedersen received the Danish Arts Foundation's Honorary Grant, and in 2007 he was awarded the Eckersberg Medal and in 2020 the Thorvaldsen Medal, both awarded by the Academy Council. Poul Pedersen was represented by SPECTA for more than 30 years.
Poul Pedersen passed away at the end of February 2026, at the age of 92.
*** Please note, that in July, we will be on holyday, and the gallery will be open by appointment only ***
