INITIAL SURVEY OF THE ELSE MADSEN ARCHIVE

Else kept and meticulously cared for her work during her lifetime. After her death, the entire archive of artworks was saved by her daughter-in-law, Emmy Madsen, and except for a few oil paintings and watercolors that adorned the homes of her children and grandchildren, has been kept in storage for over 30 years.

A recently conducted survey of the archive found over 1,000 artworks by Else including oil on canvas paintings, watercolors on paper, pencil and pen sketches and drawings, and works from the early 1920s when Else studied art at various schools. In addition to artworks the archive includes approximately 25,000 slides of Else’s and Axel’s international travel, some 8 mm films and other artifacts. The core of the artwork archive consists of nearly 100 oil on canvas paintings and over 300 watercolor drawings.