blank 1864 - 1941

This open book with blank pages was conceived by Niels Larsen Stevns, though it is impossible to say exactly when. The pages turned in anticipation of a text to come can be interpreted as a meditation on institutional power. Consider the role of the artist, and the systems of patronage, schooling, and exhibition that determine whose voice will be amplified and whose will remain unheard. This simple image prompts a reflection on the cultural and political contexts that shape creative production, especially in early 20th century Denmark. Was Stevns, trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, critiquing the established institutions that defined the art world? Or was he creating a space of possibility, a void to be filled by future generations of artists and thinkers? As historians, we might look to exhibition records, artists’ manifestos, and critical essays to better understand the context in which this piece was made and received, always remembering that art’s meaning is contingent on its social and institutional circumstances.