Christian Vigilius Blache (1838-1920)
Born on February 1, 1838 in Aarhus, Denmark, to Hans Henrik Blache and Elise Marie Kold.
Married Marie Christine Malling on November 9, 1870 in Vistoft, Denmark.
Died March 14, 1920 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Education:
1857 — Shipbuilding School
1861 — Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen
1863 — Model School
1867 — Apprenticeship with C. F. Sørensen
Travels and Residence:
1872 — Netherlands, Belgium, Paris, Italy, Vienna, Dresden, and Berlin
1878 — Paris
1887 — Faroe Islands
Awards and Honors:
1865, 69 — Neuhausen Prize
1866, 67, 72 — Medals from the Royal Academy
1887, 88 — “Eckersberg Medal” of the Year
1889 — Paris… Medal "Honorable Mention"
Positions and Appointments:
1888 — Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
1890 — Member of the Council of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
1898 — Titular Professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts
1892–1914 — Director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts
1881–1914 — Member of the Exhibition Committee of Charlottenborg Palace.
1907–1914 — Head of the Exhibition Committee at Charlottenborg Palace.
Exhibitions:
1863-72, 74-1906, 1908-20 — Spring Exhibitions at Charlottenborg Palace.
1882 — Artists' Association Exhibition
1872, 83, 88 — Nordic Art Exhibitions in Copenhagen
1878, 89 — World's Fairs in Paris
1893 — World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
1882 — International Art Exhibition in Vienna
1895 — Nordic Art Exhibition in Lübeck
1901 — Art Exhibition at Copenhagen City Hall
1980 — "Storm and Calm" exhibition at the Naval Museum / Valdemar's Castle
1914 — Baltic Art Exhibition in Malmö
1907, 17, 26, 42 — All-Russian Jubilee Art Exhibitions (…in his memory)
BIOGRAPHY
Blache left his studies in order to focus on painting. He was taught by seascape painter Sørensen and took courses at the Kunstakademi in Copenhagen. He first started exhibiting his work in 1863, and in 1864 his painting (Begstrup Cove, Hels) was obtained by the royal museum in Copenhagen. He served in the German-Danish War in 1864 before returning and painting a composition titled Danish Men-of-War Leaving the Sund, which earned him the Neuhausen prize. He visited the Netherlands, Paris, Italy, Vienna, Dresden, and Berlin on a two-year travel scholarship he was awarded. His last large seascapes include Lifeboat Approaching a Foundering Vessel (1871), Søren Kanne (1877) and Vessels Towed from Harbour (1887).
Museum Collections:
National Gallery of Denmark - Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Nottingham
