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Descendant

Lars von Trier and Nordic Art
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Brief Description
Descendant presents some of the greatest artists whose legacy forms the foundation of film director Lars von Trier's work. "My idea is to satisfy myself with a collage of images that together represent my youthful, naïve, if you will, love for primarily Nordic artists and their... Read More
Format: Hardback
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Descendant presents some of the greatest artists whose legacy forms the foundation of film director Lars von Trier's work.

"My idea is to satisfy myself with a collage of images that together represent my youthful, naïve, if you will, love for primarily Nordic artists and their followers, as a kind of interwoven tapestry that can be viewed both as a whole and in detail." This is how film director Lars von Trier introduces the project behind this book.

Descendant presents some of the greatest artists whose legacy forms the foundation of von Trier's own work. With contributions from author Karl Ove Knausgård, literary critic Lilian Munk Rösing, artist Erik Steffensen, and Lars von Trier himself, the book unfolds a large array of works from world-renowned artists like August Strindberg, Caspar David Friedrich, Edvard Munch, J.F. Willumsen, Paul Gauguin, Per Kirkeby, Rudolph Tegner, Thorvald Bindesbøll, and Vilhelm Hammershøi. The book will be published in English, Danish, and Swedish.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9788702455106

Publisher: Gyldendal

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 09 July 2026

Country: Denmark

Imprint: Gyldendal

Illustration: 120 colour

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 320.0mm

Height: 220.0mm

Weight: 1560g

Pages: 240

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction

About the Author

Anne Gregersen (ed.) is the curator responsible for collections and research at Willumsens Museum in Frederikssund, Denmark. She holds a PhD in art history from the University of Copenhagen.

Lars von Trier (b. 1956 in Copenhagen) is a Danish film director and screenwriter known for his controversial and experimental films. He has created works such as Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Nyphomaniac and The House that Jack Built. Trier has received numerous international awards, including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Trier is one of the most renowned living film directors.

Karl Ove Knausgård (b. 1968 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian author best known for his autobiographical series My Struggle. Knausgård has become one of Scandinavia's most internationally acclaimed contemporary writers.

Lilian Munk Rösing (b. 1967 in Copenhagen) is a Danish literary and art critic, author and translator. She has written extensively on art and literature and writes about Trier's transgressive expressions as necessary artistic actions that explore late capitalist society, sexuality and the human mind.

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