The Villa

The cornerstone of the villa on Møllebakken was laid on February 27, 1901, the same day Alhed and Johannes Larsen’s second (and last) child was born. Johannes Larsen had done sketches of the house he and Alhed wanted on the site, and he got the well-known Skagen architect, Ulrik Plesner, to draw blueprints with all the proper details, modifying the original plans if necessary. The result was an artists’ home with a distinctive roof structure and with an interior characterized by a quiet balance in natural lighting. The latter effect was achieved by following the principal that each room should only have light coming in from one side, and from a single window, whose size therefore had to be in proportion to the size of the room.

As new buildings were built on Møllebakken, first the guest wing in 1905 (now ticket office and shop) and later, the studio in 1916-17, it became possible to free up some space in the villa, which during the first several years included Johannes Larsen’s studio on the second floor, facing north.

The hall room, where visitors formerly would enter the house, functioned as a gallery. Family portraits painted by Johannes Larsen’s uncle, Johan Peter Bless, paintings by Johannes Larsen himself are displayed here, as well as works by other artists.

The red room is the sitting room of the villa and the central space. The red room was originally yellow, but Alhed and Johannes were so taken with the cinnobar-red colour used at Faaborg Museum that they tried out the same colour in the villa’s sitting room. On the walls are numerous works by the Funen Painter’s, family, friends and artistic connections, both older and younger. Many art works are shown in their authentic place in the room, others have been added. The adjacent Garden room is sometimes referred to as the library, containing many volumes, first editions and dedicated books.

The dining room was a central place in Alhed and Johannes Larsen’s life. Every meal was to be a celebration, and they took their time for pleasant conversation while they ate. It was a very hospitable home, with family and friends visiting, sometimes staying for longer periods of time. It is told that they sometimes had to have three sittings for lunch. At dinner, there was always “snaps”, (aquavit), and at least one glass was drunk with the herring, one with the meat and one with the cheese. Johannes Larsen had his own “grownup” snaps glass, and he liked to tell the story about the Swedish bishop, who declared that the worst thing he could think of was hypocrisy and snaps glasses that were too small.

When the fine studio building was built in 1916-17, it was possible then to take advantage of the former studio on the second floor as a bedroom for the artist couple. The former bedroom was, in turn, recreated as a festive dining room, with frescoes on the walls. Johannes Larsen painted the frescoes on the walls in the dining room. He had to work fast to paint on the wet plaster, before it dried. The motifs are the view from the house, as it ideally would look, with a paradise of animals and closer views of  the cliffs to the north and the south.

The master bedroom on the second floor, originally Johannes Larsen’s studio and at that time, there were only windows from one direction, so there would be proper shadows on his subjects when he painted. In connection with renovations, the balcony was added as a substitute for the north-facing studio window. The first thing you see in the room is two gymnastic rings hanging from the ceiling. Johannes Larsen used these for his daily morning workout. Fresh air was also a must, so they often slept with an open balcony door and lived up to all the ideals of light and air that followed with the precepts of Vitalism.

In 1919, the second major renovation of the villa took place. Central heating was added, along with a luxurious bathroom for Alhed and a new and larger kitchen, as well. In the bath room was installed a flush toilet, a radiator, a gas hot-water heater for the shower and a marble sink. The plumber thought it was unnecessary to equip the toilet with a seat and a lid; the count living on the manor of Lundsgaard just outside Kerteminde had a seat and a lid on his toilet, and he never used the lid. Johannes Larsen stuck to his original instructions an got his toilet lid!

While the ground floor contains kitchen, hall and living and dining room, where the family had their meals and entertained guests, the upper floor has, apart from the bathroom and the master bedroom, a guest room and room for the children, which still reflects the original character of the villa.

As a safe, peaceful and well-smoked home, the villa served as a residence for the artist couple throughout their lives. In the case of Johannes Larsen, an impressive 60 years, and the furnishings, other belongings and paintings are preserved right up to our day.

Alhed and Johannes Larsen’s home was modern and spacious, with high ceilings. You can still get this feeling when you visit their home. Sometimes, museum guests get inspired to renovate their own bathrooms with cream-coloured tiles on the walls, a copper sink and a checkered floor.