Art is part of the interior design of most businesses. Most workplaces today have paintings hanging on the walls. Some are owned by the company itself, while others are part of changing exhibitions arranged by the workplace's art association.
Most art-interested Danes think of Louisiana when Knud W. Jensen is mentioned. But he was also the one who brought art into the workplace. In the late 1930s, Knud W. Jensen moved his private collection of artworks into the large cheese export company Peter Jensen A/S. He did the same when he became director of the publishing house Gyldendal. For Knud W. Jensen, it was important that art was experienced by the people it was about. Art should not be reserved for the few who could afford to buy it, but should be for everyone who wanted to look at it.
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Art associations bring art into the workplace
In the fifties, art associations started in Denmark. The brainchild behind them was the director of the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory, Chr. Christensen, and this was the starting shot for art to spread to workplaces. Like many other artists, I also exhibit my art in art associations. I think it's a good way to make art a part of Danes' everyday lives. With changing exhibitions, employees at workplaces are exposed to various artworks during their workday, and some even end up taking a painting home for their own residence. Thus, you don't have to go to an art gallery to see contemporary art. It also creates a certain atmosphere in the workplace and gives employees the opportunity to talk about art.
The disadvantage of exhibitions in art associations is that it is a temporary solution that has to fit onto specific walls. It's not always that the art suits where it's supposed to hang, and paintings will often hang a bit too close and in sizes and colors that might not quite fit. With an art association exhibition, you get more of an experience as an exhibition with an artist's works, where you get a good sense of the artist's style and expression – more than it is a beautiful aesthetic hanging that suits the company.
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Interior design with paintings in businesses
When a company chooses to buy art for its interior design, the works become more site-specific, where the art matches the company. When I sell paintings to businesses, the paintings are often painted for that specific workplace. I know where the painting will hang, what the company does, and what the surroundings look like. The paintings thus become part of the overall experience of the workplace. The paintings support the company's brand and create a harmonious expression that is well thought out and adapted to the individual workplace. Read more about my artistic decorations in businesses here
There are, therefore, several ways to bring art into workplaces. I believe it is important that art becomes part of our everyday lives – both at home and at work. Not everyone actively chooses art, but it should offer itself and be an option. We need to be challenged and inspired. We are influenced by colors and shapes. Art is alive and offers stories and moods that challenge the senses.
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