Elna Fonnesbech-Sandberg | |
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Born | Elna Riegels 22 March 1892 Copenhagen, Denmark |
Died | 6 March 1994 | (aged 101)
Known for | Painter, Art collector |
Movement | Abstract Expressionism |
Elna Vilhelmine Fonnesbech-Sandberg née Riegels (1892–1994) was a successful Danish art collector who later became a painter herself. By the late 1929s, she had put together an extensive collection of Danish Modernist and Expressionist works but had to sell them when struck by austerity during World War II. Shortly afterwards, encouraged by her close friend Asger Jorn, she embarked on a new collection of the abstract works of young Danish painters who became members of the CoBrA movement. She exhibited them in her home in Frederiksberg which developed into a popular meeting place for those interested in the latest trends. In 1947, Fonnesbech-Sandberg became a painter herself, joining the group of abstract painters known as Spiralen.[1][2][3]