Keld Helmer-Petersen – A Pioneer of Photography
Discover Keld Helmer-Petersen’s photography at Kunstmuseum Brandts in Odense. More than 80 works reveal how, over seven decades, he found inspiration in everything from architecture and industry to drainpipes, road signs and cracks in the pavement – and how he helped transform Danish photography.
A Pioneer of Danish Colour Photography
At a time when art photographers in the 1940s mainly worked in black and white, Keld Helmer-Petersen (1920–2013) began experimenting with colour. He turned his camera towards details that most people would simply pass by: a brick wall, a road sign, a drainpipe or the colours of a building façade.
He often moved in close to his subject, transforming familiar everyday objects into compositions of colours, shapes and surfaces. It was a new approach in Danish photography, and in 1948 he published 122 Colour Photographs, which brought him international recognition. Two years later, he travelled to Chicago, where he was both a student and guest lecturer at the Bauhaus-inspired Institute of Design.
At Kunstmuseum Brandts, you can explore more than 80 works from a career spanning seven decades. Early and later photographs are displayed side by side, and the exhibition includes works from the series 122 Colour Photographs, Fragments of a City and Deformations.
From Steel Structures to Cracks in the Pavement
Keld Helmer-Petersen found his subjects both in the city and in nature. In Chicago, he photographed steel structures, fire escapes and architectural details, turning them into graphic forms against the sky. Later, he shifted his gaze towards the ground, photographing litter, a lost glove and cracks in the pavement.
His ability to spot shapes and patterns in everyday surroundings runs throughout his work. The exhibition traces his development from the 1940s to the 2010s and features both colour and black-and-white photography, as well as images of former industrial areas.
Photography, Architecture and Jazz
Alongside his artistic work, Keld Helmer-Petersen worked as an architectural photographer and was a lecturer at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture. He photographed works by Arne Jacobsen, among others, and collaborated with Poul Kjærholm, Finn Juhl and Jørn Utzon.
Music also played an important role in his work, particularly jazz. The exhibition therefore includes the experimental film Copenhagen Boogie, in which the waters of Copenhagen Harbour move in patterns accompanied by jazz music.
Keld Helmer-Petersen – A Pioneer of Photography can be experienced at Kunstmuseum Brandts from 14 November 2026.
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