Descendant. Curated by Lars von Trier

The Thiel Gallery’s major autumn exhibition, Descendant, is curated by the Danish film director Lars von Trier, who turned 70 in 2026. For more than four decades, Trier has revitalised cinema by challenging conventions, reinterpreting genres and combining artistic experiment with a broad general appeal. His films are characterised by a strong visual awareness, and the fine arts have been a vital influence for him since his youth. This exhibition presents a variety of works that have fed into Trier’s filmmaking, and which he calls the “family” on whose shoulders he stands.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is Vilhelm Hammershøi’s monumental work Five Portraits from 1901, which has had a magic allure on Trier. When he was 19, he travelled to Stockholm solely to see this painting at the Thiel Gallery. With Five Portraits as a starting point, other works, documents, personal items and films are connected by texts written by Trier, offering insights into how these inspirational sources have influenced his own creative practice.

Along with Hammershøi, the exhibition features several other artists, including Caspar David Friedrich, Paul Gauguin, Carl Fredrik Hill, Edvard Munch, Ejnar Nielsen, August Strindberg, Rudolph Tegner, Jens Ferdinand Willumsen and Trier himself. Another seminal influence is the artist Per Kirkeby, who contributed visual elements to his films Breaking the Waves (1996), Dancer in the Dark (2000) and Antichrist (2009).

The exhibition was produced in collaboration with the Willumsen Museum in Frederikssund, Denmark, where it was shown in the summer of 2026.

Warm thanks to our lenders:
Carlsberg Archives, Davids Samling, Den Hirschsprungske Samling, Det Danske Filminstitut, Göteborgs konstmuseum, Den Kongelige Samling, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Malmö Konstmuseum, Moderna Museet, Museum Jorn, Museum Sønderjylland, Nationalmuseum, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Ordrupgaard, Rudolph Tegners Museum & Statuepark, Skagens Museum, Willumsens Museum och privata långivare.

Many thanks for the generous support of:
15. Juni Fonden, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, Augustinus Fonden, Beckett-Fonden Knud Højgaards Fond, Konsul George Jorck og Hustru Emma Jorck’s Fond, Ernst B. Sund Fonden, Axel Muusfeldts Fond, Hoffmann og Husmans Fond.