In the summer of 2015, Faaborg Museum presented the centenary exhibition Bring in nature! Contemporary art 100 years after the Funen Painters. Although the exhibition is now over, it lives on  locally, as the New Carlsberg Foundation has acquired several of the artworks from the exhibition for display at the upper secondary school Faaborg Gymnasium.

The pieces, which include both paintings and photographic art, are now on permanent loan to the school. The artists, Ulrik Møller, Camilla Berner, Søren Martinsen, Allan Otte and Søren Lose, all address nature as a motif and incorporate various forms of references to the Funen Painters’ fascination with the local scenery. Thus, the original themes re-emerge in a new light, viewed through the lens of contemporary art. Placing the works at Faaborg Gymnasium allows this dialogue between contemporary artworks and the original works by the Funen Painters in the permanent collection of Faaborg Museum to continue – beyond the duration of the centenary exhibition.   

Moreover, some of the selected artists have personal ties to Faaborg Gymnasium and the local area, which makes it especially relevant for the school to showcase the works of these particular artists to students, teachers and visitors to Faaborg Gymnasium. This applies, for example, to Camilla Berner, who is a former student at the school, and Ulrik Møller, who grew up in the area.

The principal of the upper secondary school, Sophie Holm Strøm, views the artworks as a welcome addition to the school’s profile:

‘Located as it is at the foot of the Svanninge Hills, Faaborg Gymnasium is an obvious place to display contemporary artworks that address nature with authenticity and a broad aesthetic reach, providing food for thought and contributing to cultural education and awareness,’ the principal says.

The director of Faaborg Museum, Gertrud Hvidberg-Hansen, says,

‘It is highly significant for Faaborg Museum to see key pieces from the centenary exhibition Bring in nature! remain in Faaborg after the closure of the exhibition, as this highlights the currency of the Funen Painters a hundred years after their time.’ 

The chairman of the New Carlsberg Foundation, Karsten Ohrt, says,

‘The artworks were created with inspiration from the Funen Painters, and the New Carlsberg Foundation therefore found it natural to make them accessible on a daily basis at Faaborg Gymnasium to the inspiration of students, teachers, parents and visitors to the school.’