Kristian Zahrtmann, Adam in Paradise, 1914. Photo: Anna Danielsson/Nationalmuseum.

STOCKHOLM.- Nationalmuseum has acquired the painting Adam in Paradise by the Danish artist Kristian Zahrtmann. It is one of a group of erotic depictions of men which were perceived at the time as being too provocative and ended up in private collections where they have been out of sight for the general public. Thanks to the acquisition, the painting will be one of only a few to be given a permanent place in public.

The painting by Kristian Zahrtmann (1843-1917) was produced in 1914. It portrays Adam on his own, surrounded by the fruits and flowers of the Garden of Eden. The motif is essentially biblical but at the same time clearly erotic. When the painting was exhibited in 1914 at Den Frie Udstilling in Copenhagen, it was met with scathing criticism and was regarded as being too provocative and unconventional to be purchased for state collections.

”I think even now Adam in Paradise is a painting that can still challenge our conceptions of taste and conventions. At the time, the painting was regarded as unacceptable by society, in part because of the flamboyant colours and the nudity but perhaps even more so because the artist painted the model with a bored expression instead of letting him play the role of biblical Adam with passion. It is very obvious that he is a potential object for the viewer’s lust, rather than being part of a moral story. The painting can therefore be regarded as one the boldest works of Danish art from that time and also the most interesting, not least from a queer perspective,” says Carl-Johan Olsson, curator 19th century art at Nationalmuseum.