Birds, suns, ships in the sky and fairytale castles: the fantasy imagery of Danish artist Carl-Henning Pedersen (1913–2007) will take over the museum in autumn 2024. Pedersen, who had a long career, was one of the most important artists of Danish modernism. He also belonged to the important international CoBrA group. The Fairytales of Carl-Henning Pedersen brings together key themes from Pedersen's career in the most comprehensive exhibition of the artist's work in Finland. 

 

Didrichsen Art Museum organised Pedersen's first exhibition in Finland in 1968, and the museum's own collection includes many works by him. The works in the exhibition are on loan from the Carl-Henning Pedersen & Else Alfelts Museum in Herning, Denmark.

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Carl-Henning Pedersen, who began his career in the late 1930s, was one of the most important modernists in Danish visual art. A self-taught and spontaneous artist, he had a distinctive visual style and used the term “fantasy art” to describe his work. His expressive artworks depict imaginative birds, masks, winged horses, ships in the sky and celestial objects. Pedersen was interested in prehistoric and medieval imagery and indigenous art. He drew his inspiration from works created by children as well as from the dream world. The common human imagination and shared myths play an important role in the artist's imagery and writings. Particularly in his early works, one can find parallels with works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Paul Klee, among others.