Mask and figure

Danish-born Sonja Ferlov Mancoba (1911-1984) was one of the most distinctive and significant Scandinavian sculptors of the 20th century. Together with many fellow artists of her generation, she followed the leading international art trends during the 1930s – in particular Surrealism. Their contributions laid the groundwork for a unique abstract art in Denmark, and towards the end of the decade engendered the growth of an expressionistic spontaneous abstract painting, which later formed the basis of the pan-European Cobra movement. At the same time there was a strong tendency towards a concrete and constructivist art form in post-war Danish art, which also had its roots in the art of the 30s. It was precisely in the borderline between these mutually opposing movements that Sonja Ferlov Mancoba carried out her artistic endeavours.

OWG