Bent Holstein is still engaged in a lifelong honing of his skills. Technically, he is regarded as one of the most skillful graphic artists of his generation. He has constantly experimented with newmaterials; 10 years ago, he combined painting with photographic images on aluminum. Now he is deconstructing old Polaroid images, taking them apart and revitalizing them as art.

Bent Holstein lives in the middle of Copenhagen and has done so his whole life. However, almost all his work is based on countless travels abroad. He never paints in situ. He does not even bring a sketchbook or pencils. On his travels, his most trusted companions are two observant eyes and a camera. Having returned to his city apartment and studio, he slowly digests both the images in his mind and the photographs, transforming them onto canvas. “It is the image inside your brain that counts—your first impression of what you saw. I paint my impression,” he says.

That has been his life since he became a professional artist. Art was not a factor in his upbringing.
He preferred to play music and joined a jazz band. While visiting Paris in 1960, Holstein saw a painting in an art dealer’s window—so bold and simple that it haunted him afterward: just yellow with a black spot, by the Spanish artist Antoni Tàpies. It turned the bass-playing aspiring musician Bent Holstein into an aspiring artist. At the time, he was a shipping trainee with the large Danish company A.P. Møller-Maersk. That did not last long. He quit and became a full-time artist.

“I guess we had conflicting interests, Mærsk and I,” he told me with a typically sarcastic Holstein smile. “They were prospecting for oil in the North Sea; I wanted something else. My first exhibition sold out. I made ten times my monthly salary as a trainee. I realized I was a painter, not a shipping trainee.”

He also became an art critic for radio and TV art programs. Danish National Broadcasting offered him a job, but he turned it down. “You become an artist because you cannot help it and because it offers you absolute freedom. No one can interfere with the way you paint,” he said.

A major figure in Holstein’s world is the rich man in The Tales of Hoffmann who collected views. He used enormous funds to construct roads and cut down forests so he could reach the perfect viewpoint. He then absorbed the magnificent view and drove away, never to return. The view was imprinted in his memory—that sufficed.

Bent Holstein is a collector and interpreter of views. This was not as dominant in his early works, where he combined reality with abstraction and often included animals that did not logically belong. However, he later took his art a step further. The exhibition Tide Lines at the Asbæk Gallery in 2001 marked a turning point. Holstein was overwhelmed by the visual drama of the Florida Keys. “Staying in a small hotel in Marathon, in the Middle Keys, I watched in fascination the moving tide, the shifting sky, the change from salmon pink to black when a storm moves in,” he wrote in the exhibition catalogue.

The exhibition received a glowing review from the late Ole Lindbo, art critic and editor of the Danish art magazine. Lindbo described Bent Holstein’s new paintings as works in which “feeling and sensation were fully unleashed. These were paintings that floated and danced at the same time. Nature was fully orchestrated, seen and observed with both a sharp and affectionate eye. But there were also paintings full of calm and harmony—and vibrating energy.”

Sitting in Bent Holstein’s apartment in Copenhagen, we go through the paintings, ready to be shipped to Mallorca for the largest exhibition of his works to date. He talks about the pictures, in which he essentially takes Polaroid snapshots apart and reconstructs them as art. He is constantly experimenting with new compositions and materials. It is a never-ending effort toward perfection. I know that he knows he will never achieve it. If he did, like Captain Ahab, he would lose interest. Unlike the rich man in The Tales of Hoffmann, his vast collection of views is not imprisoned within his mind. They are constantly being interpreted and transformed into paintings for others to enjoy.

The Constant Traveler. Text written in 2026 by Lasse Jensen, prize winning Danish writer, documentarist, and journalist

Bent Holstein (born 1942 in Copenhagen, SL) is a prominent figure in the post-war art movement, known for his distinctive contributions to contemporary art. His work reflects a deep engagement with various media, including painting and printmaking, and is characterized by an exploration of themes such as nature, perception, and the passage of time. Holstein’s artistic journey has unfolded over several decades, marked by a commitment to both individual expression and collaborative projects. His artistic practice is often described as introspective, drawing on personal experiences and observations of the natural world. He employs a range of techniques that allow him to manipulate color and form, creating compositions that invite viewers to engage with the subtleties of perception. His work often reflects a dialogue with the environment, prompting contemplation on the interconnectedness of nature and human existence. Holstein’s ability to traverse different artistic styles and mediums has positioned him as a significant figure within the post-war art movement. Recent solo exhibitions took place at Galleri Gl. Lejre, Denmark (2021); CCA Andratx, Spain (2019); Galleri Lorien, Denmark (2018), Galleri Thomassen, Sweden (2016); Mark Rothko Center, Letland (2015). Group exhibitions include GLOBAL GOALS, Galleri Lorien, Denmark (2019); 40 års Jubilæums udstilling, Kunstetagerne, Hobro, Denmark (2016); FREMSYNET TILBAGEBLIK, Kunstetagerne, Hobro, Denmark (2014); AXIS: Copenhagen-London, 24-8 gallery, Highgate, Great Britain (2013). His works are included in private and public art collections such as Ny Carlsberg Fonden, Denmark; Kobberstiksamlingen, Denmark; National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA; Museum of Modern Art, Printcollection, New York, USA; Kunstindustrimuseet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Malmö Län, Sweden; Canadian State Collection, Canada; The City of Paris Collection, France; Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin, USA; Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen, China; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; Mark Rothko Art Center, Daugavpils, Letland; JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, USA; Deutsche Bank Collection, Germany; among others.