Oliver Wiant Rømer Holme

• Presentation

My PhD project reconsiders the art historical perception of the so-called social art current of the interwar period in Denmark. By 
framing social art as a revolutionary modernist impulse, the project challenges 
established art historical narratives of modernism, which has 
historically favored Surrealism, abstraction, and artists associated 
with cultural radicalism.

Artistic production of the period emerged during the volatile 
political climate of the interwar years. Works by artists 
such as Aksel Jørgensen, Marlie Brande and Anton Hansen were 
commonly reproduced and used as illustrations in artistic and 
political journals during the 1920s and 1930s. Despite their internal 
disagreements, the editorial boards of Marxist and cultural radical 
journals were united through their antifascist stance. This resistance 
was nonetheless disjointed when it came to political and artistic 
strategy. The project outlines these strategies to analyze how they 
were manifested in works of social art. Finally, the project addresses 
the reason why social art has not received larger art historical 
attention and recognition in Denmark and in Europe in general.

The project is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation