October 30—November 29, 2025
"It feels right and important to paint excessive tulips and water lilies - conversing with myself about these very archetypal objects of painting."
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Anders Scrmn Meisner
Press Release
Danish artist Anders Scrmn Meisner will open his debut solo exhibition in New York on October 30th, bringing together 14 new paintings inspired by what Meisner calls a “European lust for life.” In a time defined by change and uncertainty, Meisner’s devotion to pattern and repetition feels like a gesture of faith, of the human desire to find order in a dissonant world.
The artist’s fascination with the fleeting joy and sense of renewal in spring and summer runs through his show, titled Orange Blossom Water (Like Wild Horses.) The title draws its name from the orange trees in Seville, Spain, with their ripe and unforgettable sweetness that perfume the city in spring.
His nostalgic subjects—vineyards, waterlilies, romantic bridges, wild apples, dancing shoes, and towering bouquets—recall the idyllic worlds of children’s stories, with their sense of reverie and harmony. There is a feeling that nothing bad can happen here. In the rapidly changing world that we live in, often overwhelming and harsh, Meisner reminds us of a time that was predictable and balanced. His painted world is arranged by order, wonder, and innocence. Meisner describes his recurring images, reminiscent of folk motifs, as “wild horses” running through his mind.
Having lived in the vibrant city of Seville in his twenties, Meisner drew influence from the city’s ceramic tiles, majestic palm trees, and religious iconography, along with the light and rhythm of Southern Spain. He returns there often with his wife Carolina and their two children to escape the Scandinavian winters, enjoying the aromatic streets lined with orange evergreen trees, the Gothic cathedrals with their Moorish gardens, and the sounds of Flamenco music spilling out from tablaos.
In Last Kiss or Apple, Meisner captures the ache of summer’s end—when apples are ripe for picking in Denmark, or when a brief love affair ends (in this case a love affair with summer.) His monumental tulip painting, Little Spring, is both a symbol of spring’s arrival, a reward for having gone through another Scandinavian winter, but also a nod to the 17th century Dutch tulip bubble, the first great economic crash born from speculation in beauty. As Meisner explains, "it yields so many parallels to today where we assign extreme value to the weirdest of things."
Born in Copenhagen in 1981 and entirely self-taught, Meisner has exhibited across Europe and the United States. Orange Blossom Water (Like Wild Horses) marks his first solo presentation in New York, and will run through November 29, 2025. The artist will join us in New York for an opening reception on Thursday, October 30, from 6-8pm at 39 Lispenard Street.
