Current Events & Trends | July 2019 | Rebecca Rego Barry

Dazzled by Danish Illustrator Kay Nielsen

Promised gift of Kendra and Allan Daniel , Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Illustration from Kay Nielsen's East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Old Tales from the North (published 1914), 1913–1914.

If you want to be dazzled, look no further than the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which just opened Kay Nielsen’s Enchanted Vision: The Kendra and Allan Daniel Collection.

Nielsen (1886–1957) gained international recognition for his exquisite gift book illustrations, notably his masterpiece East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Old Tales from the North (1914), a collection of Norwegian fairy tales. He later worked as a theater designer and as an art director for Disney’s landmark animation, Fantasia.

The new exhibition aims to represent all of the phases of his career with fifty dramatic watercolors, drawings, and illustrated books, all promised gifts to the MFA from collectors Kendra and Allan Daniel. According to the MFA, the exhibition marks the first time that such a large group of Nielsen’s original works, both published and unpublished, has been on public display in the U.S. in more than six decades.

Promised gift of Kendra and Allan Daniel , Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Illustration from Nielsen's Hansel and Gretel and Other Stories by the Brothers Grimm (published 1925), 1924. Transparent and opaque watercolor, pen and ink over graphite.

“Nielsen’s illustrations are mesmerizing when seen in print, but this exhibition provides an exceptionally rare opportunity to see his original works of art, which are breathtaking with their powerful imagery and extraordinary detail,” said Meghan Melvin, Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Curator of Design, who organized the exhibition. “I’m delighted to present our visitors with a chance to experience firsthand the beautiful and enchanted worlds born from Nielsen’s mind.”

Among the highlights are ten illustrations from East of the Sun and West of the Moon, which are considered the bedrock of Nielsen’s legacy, plus eight drawings from the Book of Death series (1910), and three original illustrations from his final book commission, Red Magic: A Collection of the World’s Best Fairy Tales from all Countries (1930).

The exhibition will remain on view through January 20, 2020, which means those of you making plans to attend the Boston antiquarian book fairs in November ought to save some time for a trip to the MFA.