Michael Otto Albert Kvium

Place: Horsens

Born: 1955

Biography:

Danish artist Michael Kvium was born on November 15, 1955, in Horsens, Denmark. He is known for his work in painting, illustrating, sculpting and various performance genres. Since the early 1980s, he has created grotesque realistic works depicting the darker side of life. Kvium studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Albert Mertz and Stig Brøgger. His paintings often resemble comic strip art or extensions of Baroque paintings from the 17th century, with motifs including grotesque monsters, half man-half woman figures that sometimes approach self-portraits. In 1981, he cofounded Værkstedet Værst, a collaborative workshop for performance art along with Erik A. Frandsen and Christian Lemmerz. Kvium's works are included in the collections of many Danish museums and galleries. He has been awarded the Eckersberg Medal (2001) and was decorated with the Order of the Dannebrog (2010).