Harald Leth Art

Harald Leth commenced his art studies with Johannes Larsen in 1921 before attending Harald Giersing's painting school from 1921–23. He later studied with Olaf Rude (1923–1924) and briefly, with Peter Rostrup Bøyesen. During the 1920s, Leth also studied in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, where he was exposed to the ferment of modernist ideas which led to a general lightening and brightening of his palette. Leth first exhibited at the Charlottenborg autumn exhibition in 1923. He became a member of several avant-garde art movements, including the Høstutstillingen (1934–44), Koloristerne (1946–50) and Matsuda Stillingen (1951–82). During his summers on the island of Bornholm in the 1920s, Leth became influenced by the work of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, which helped him in the development of his own naturalistic style. Leth painted landscapes, still lives and interiors, often composed on a smaller scale. From 1944, when he moved to the north of Zealand, he adopted an increasingly coloristic style. During his long career, Leth exhibited widely and with success and was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards including the Danish Academy medal (1929), the Eckersberg Medal (1958), the Thorvaldsen Medal (1966) and the Prince Eugen Medal (1983). His work is held in the permanent collection of the National Art Museum of Denmark and the collection of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Leth is well-listed in Benezit's Dictionary of Artists, Painters and Sculptors and Weilbach's Dictionary of Artists and all other relevant art reference works.