Emil Carlsen

Today outside a small group of traditional painters art historians and dealers Danish-American Impressionist/Realist painter Søren Emile Carlsen's (1848-1932) reputation is almost all but forgotten; an extreme contrast to the nearly rock star status he once held with the public and his peers during his lifetime. Carlsen was part of the circle of America's best known painters including William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919) Childe Hassam (1859-1935) and John Henry Twachtman (1853-1902). At his height Carlsen's paintings commanded the equivalent of as much as $50000 per canvas-in today's money-during the early 20th-century. Perhaps it was the Dane's loner demeanor or his obsessive focus on the making of art that aided to his lost reputation with the public. But it is because of these traits that Carlsen has reached near hero status among today's traditional painters and collectors.