Episode 137: Marie Triepcke Krøyer Alfvén
Marie Triepcke Krøyer Alfvén (1867–1940) was a Danish painter, interior designer, and furniture designer whose life reflected both artistic brilliance and the struggles faced by women in the arts. Born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, to German immigrant parents, she showed early talent in painting and admired the work of Peder Severin Krøyer, leader of the Skagen painters. Denied formal access to art schools because she was a woman, Marie co-founded alternative schools such as Den lille Malerskole (1885) and Atelierskolen, pioneering spaces where women could study art and invite established painters to critique their work.
In 1888, she studied in Paris, where she gravitated towards Impressionism and Naturalism. Soon after, she married her mentor, Peter Krøyer, becoming both his muse and collaborator. They had a daughter, Vibeke, but their marriage was strained by his mental illness and her depression. Frustrated by barriers in painting, Marie shifted to design, influenced by Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau.
In the early 1900s, she divorced Peter and began a relationship with Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén. Marie and Hugo had a daughter, Margita, before marrying in 1912. Together they moved to Alfvéngaard, Tällberg, Sweden, where Marie designed their home blending Swedish tradition with Art Nouveau interiors. Her second marriage also ended in divorce in 1928.
Marie spent her final years in Stockholm, where she died of cancer in 1940. Throughout her life, she wrestled with feelings of frustration over being denied recognition as an artist due to her gender. Posthumously, however, her legacy flourished: after her daughter’s death in 1986, Marie’s works were rediscovered and celebrated, securing her place in Danish Art and Design History.
Caryatid: Juliet Serem
Juliet Serem is a Kenyan American architect and the owner of Studio Boma in Houston. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland. Her career spans projects in renovation, education, and commercial design, and she now focuses on residential architecture and commercial interior remodels. Passionate about supporting women in the profession, she served as Chair of the Women in Architecture Committee in Houston. Juliet also designed the home where she lives with her family and pursues painting alongside her architectural work. She is recognized as a talented professional, a supportive leader, and a vibrant presence in her community.
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This transcript was prepared during the development of the episode.
Final recorded episode may deviate slightly from the content presented below as changes, edits, or improvements may be made during the recording and editing process.
Norgerie: Hi! Welcome to season 13 of She Builds Podcast, where we share stories about women in the design and construction field, one lady at a time.
Jessica: This season's theme is: “All Things Residential” . We are talking about ladies who were involved in residential projects.
Lizi: As always, we are not experts, we are just sharing stories about the information that we find, as friends having a fun conversation. If you find an error, send us an email and we will all continue learning.
Norgerie Today we're learning about Marie Triepcke Krøyer Alfvén, pioneering Danish interior designer. I’m Norgerie Rivas, designing my career, in Houston, Texas.
Jessica: Hi, I’m Jessica Rogers, purging my closet, in Miami, FL
Lizi: Hi, I’m Lizi Raar, hosting my parents in San Francisco.
Norgerie: Let's begin. The time was June 11 1867 the place Frederiksberg, Denmark, Marie Triepcke was born!
Lizi: oooooo heading to Denmark! So Frederiksberg is a municipality of the Capital Region. It's next to Copenhagen, which is the capital of Denmark. Excited to visit a new country!
Jessica: Agreed - we are off to Denmark
Norgerie: Yea! Today, Frederiksberg is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Denmark, and it's considered an affluent area. But no idea if it was back then so now this information feels neither here nor there.
Lizi: Yeah you never know, it could have changed dramatically in the last 150ish years.
Jessica: Yeahhhhh a lot can happen in 150ish years or not
Norgerie: She was Danish with German descent. Her parents were Max Triepcke and Minna Kindler, who immigrated from, you guessed it, Germany.
Lizi: Do you have any info on why they immigrated Norgerie?
Norgerie: None whatsoever, I looked for info on both of them and came up short.
Lizi: Gotcha
Norgerie: Little kid Marie was a painter. She was a fan and studied the work of Peder Severin Krøyer, leader of the Skagen painters.
Jessica: First of all, I’m clockin’ the last name that you mention. Peder was one of the most well-known Skagen Painters. The Skagen Painters might not sound familiar but their work might. So the name is based on the town or village in Denmark. It’s this beautiful summer destination. Painters liked to capture the “en plein air” which is of people just livin’ it up in nature. What makes it familiar is that work closely resembles the French Impressionists.
Norgerie: In the 1880s she began formal artistic training, so I’m guesstimating teenager Marie is out there unleashing her inner artist. She studied with Carl Thomsen and collaborated in modeling with Bertha Wegmann.
Lizi: Ooooo love this early artistic interest. So Carl Thomsen was a famous Danish painter and illustrator during the 1800s that specialized in genre painting. Which I had no idea what that was, maybe you ladies did, but apparently genre painting is paintings of everyday life or people doing common tasks.
Jessica: yes that is similar to what I was talking about earlier
Norgerie: I have to say I don't think this name is very descriptive of what it means, it should be called mundane painting. I guess that doesn't have as nice a ring.
Lizi: hahahaha right?
Jessica: welp! I will admit that I knew this but it’s because I went to art school. Think of it as a still life but with people. Candid photos but in painting form.
Norgerie: Do you like the name though?
Jessica: It's weird but I understand it.
Norgerie: Ok, it is what it is.
Jessica: Yeah, speaking of Bertha it’s funny that you mention formal training because betha wegmann didn’t believe in formal training at least for herself. She did in the beginning but then decided to practice her art on her own. She was a cool Danish painter. Bertha would become the first woman to be the chair of the Royal Danish Academy.
Lizi: Also, as a side note, do we think Bertha has connections to the future Wegmann’s?
Norgerie: What? Like where we used to go to get our groceries?
Lizi: haha yeah, that's my only Wegmann's reference.
Norgerie: Umm, nothing in my research brought that up, but maybe? I would have to look into the history of Wegmann's too. Jessica did anything about that come up in your research?
Jessica: that was also my thought but sadly no. But what it tells me is that Wegmanns, our beloved grocery store, probably has Danish roots.
Norgerie: Ok listen to this. We're in the 1880s, in Denmark. Surprise surprise, art schools did not accept women. Of course.
Lizi: Shocker.
Norgerie: I’m not sure at what time in her life she said this, but she said and I quote: “Oh, I wish I had been born a man! They have it a thousand times better than us women. They are free to learn something, while we must beg for it.”
Jessica: sad part is that in some cases we are still begging for the same things
Norgerie: Marie, in a move that we are all too familiar with said, oh there's no school for me, no problem I'll make it. She found other women interested in starting an art school and together they just rented a space and established the Den lille Malerskole (the Little School for Painters) in 1885. A year later she helped establish another similar school, the Atelierskolen (the Atelier School), which was a model for the Kunstskolen (The Art School) under the Academy of Fine Arts which was “The Women's School” under the Academy of Fine Arts who didn't want to accept women in the first place but then ended up integrating the Women's School.
Lizi: I love this. How old was she at this point?
Norgerie: She must have been around 18 when she started the school revolution!
Lizi: Wow that’s pretty badass to start your own school at 18.
Jessica: That is so cool, but what exactly did they do? What did an 18 year old and her acquaintances know about running an art school?
Lizi: hahaha great question.
Norgerie: Well they just started making art, they shared expenses and invited art professors to critique their work which I think is so brilliant, I love how they just took charge of their education like that.
Lizi: Totally. This is awesome. And great that they were able to get art professors to come as critics! They were legit!
Norgerie: Notable artists that lended their critiques to The Women's School were Laurits Tuxen and Peder Severin Krøyer
Lizi: Laurits Tuxen was a Danish painter and sculptor who specialized in figure painting.
Jessica: and y'all better remember Peder, I talked about him less than 5 mins ago.
Lizi: Talk about legit the leader of the Skagen painters is critiquing them.
Jessica: Also, how special must it have been for her that the artist she looked up to as a child was now like her professor.
Norgerie: Maybe that might have been like Frank Lloyd Wright being my professor. That's the architect I liked when I was a teenager.
Lizi: Same. I feel like Frank is the most well known architect to most Americans. Maybe I.M. Pei
Jessica: I remember liking tadao Ando when I was a teenager… now if the diva herself Zaha, was my professor, I wouldn’t be mad. But let’s be real … if Lina Bo Bardi was our professor, we would have to remember to pinch ourselves from this dream.
Norgerie: Agreed!In 1888 she traveled to Paris, to learn from other artists. There she studied in the atelier of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. At this atelier she met Anna Ancher, Gustave Courtois and Alfred Philippe Roll. She discovered Impressionism and Naturalism.
Lizi: Wow, sounds like she was really rubbing elbows with the artists of the time. Also, I love impressionism, so I love this for Marie.
Norgerie: While she was in Paris there was drama mamma going on back home. There was a famous exhibition space, that still exits by the way, called Kunsthal Charlottenborg. They had strict guidelines of the work that made the cut. Like what kind of art it had to be? What style, this and that. What gender the artist was… of course that was an issue.
Jessica: Of course
Norgerie: And the artists were like dude the whole point of art is to be free to express yourself, not have someone dictate the terms of art. So a group of artists put together the Den Frie Udstilling (The Free Exhibition) in 1891 in protest to Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Today it's the oldest artist association in the country, but back in the day they were the best artists in Denmark being a bunch of rebels putting together an exhibition where they were free to expose their art. And guess who had work in this exhibition.
Jessica: our girl Marie!
Norgerie: Ja! You know our girl Marie is gonna be a part of change. You know who else was involved?
Lizi: Who?
Norgerie: Mr. Peder, that's who. He was in Paris too, but somehow Marie and Peder found a way to stay involved with the happenings of the art scene back home. Well while I'm on the Peder subject let me tell you that in the movie that is Marie's life, Peder went through a few character changes, from idol, to professor, honey bunny hubby.
Jessica: honey bunny what?
Norgerie: They got married in July 1889. Eventually they left Paris and lived between Skagen and Copenhagen.
Lizi: Love it.
Jessica: I KNEW IT! Well we saw this coming cause at the beginning of the episode you mentioned her full married name, but it was so long ago when he was introduced so I figured maybe it was a relative. Live the full circle moment.
Norgerie: She started going by Marie Krøyer, and became the muse of her husband's paintings.
Lizi: oooo muse energy.
Jessica: we love this
Norgerie: They enjoyed the artist newlywed life and then in 1895 they're little daughter Vibeke was born.
Lizi: Congrats!
Jessica: cute!
Norgerie: Unfortunately it wasn't all sunflowers and rainbows. Marie and Peder were having problems. Peder struggled with mental health issues and Marie suffered from postpartum depression .
Jessica: oh noo
Lizi: oh no. That is so difficult. Especially if they’re both struggling and while having a newborn.
Norgerie: According to sources, Marie struggled with depression throughout her life. She struggled with the endless hoops she had to go through as a woman artist. She said: “Sometimes I think all of this effort is in vain. We have a lot to overcome… what sense does it really make for me to paint, I will never ever achieve greatness. I want to grow our cause even though sometimes it is terribly difficult.”
Lizi: Aww Marie! I both want to tell her to persevere, but also that her feelings are real, and I’m sure it was so hard to be a woman trying to make it in that time. I hope she was able to find some hope in the darkness to help her keep going.
Jessica: I really have to admire Marie’s vulnerability and her courage to share those feelings. On our show we talk so much about how our ladies overcome and persevere but I’m sure a lot of our ladies can relate to what she is saying and feeling.
Norgerie: I want to tell her it gets better but, ugh. This really got to me, I felt her pain and her hopelessness. It also made me wonder, what her definition of greatness was. It almost sounds like it was to be well known. I’m not sure if she wanted to be famous or well known and respected among her peers. Or even to be taken seriously as an artist.
Lizi: Yeah that’s a good point. Success can look different for people. But maybe for that time she just wanted to be respected and for her work to be recognized as worthwhile.
Jessica: or maybe it was to sell her artwork at the same rate as the male artists. It can be so many things
Norgerie: Women had to fight for every inch, and we often still do, it's exhausting.
Lizi: So true.
Norgerie: In the midst of all of this, Marie decided to change careers, she was not seeing the results she wanted. So she went from artist to furniture designer, specifically home furniture design.
Lizi: Ok, loving this pivot and hopefully it will give her more satisfaction or sense of accomplishment.
Jessica: Okay, I was wondering when we were going to get to the residential part.
Norgerie: We could say her style was Arts & Crafts. She was also a follower of Scottish designers Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald, If these people were alive today we might find Marie dropping hearts all over Margaret's design posts.
Jessica: So Charles and Margaret were a couple. Charles was an architect and artist. Margaret was an artist. If the term gesso revival rings a bell, then you can credit these two. When you mentioned Arts & Crafts I can totally see it BUT with a scottish/ european twist.
Norgerie: In 1902 life took Marie on a trip to Taormina, Sicily. Where are Peder and Viebeke? Unclear; but Marie is in Sicily and she meets up with the musician Hugo Alfvén. Not sure how famous he was at that time, but today he is one of the most well-known Swedish composers. He was also a violinist and a painter.
Lizi: Ok, loving this White Lotus moment for Marie. Tell us more about Hugo because I am peeping his last name with the big eye emoji over here. He on vacay too?
Jessica: oh ohhhhh a sicilian holidayyyyyyy.
Norgerie: Yeah, to be clear, when I was doing my research I thought these two had a meet cute at a Mediterranean Beach cause why not. But then I found that Hugo's picture on Wikipedia is a portrait that honey bunny hubby Peder sketched in 1903! So then I started thinking Marie and Hugo already knew each other at this point of the story, they probably ran in the same circles. SO, I’m not sure if these two suprise ran into each other in Sicily or if this was premeditated. How much drama ensued before, during, or after this meeting? I don't know. But apparently that same year Marie gets a divorce from Peder and gets it on with Hugo.
Lizi: oooooooo hay drama! Ok, well it sounds like Marie and Peder weren’t in a great place, so I just hope that she’s able to find a more fulfilling relationship with Hugo.
Jessica:OMG this tea is pipping hot! Peder had met Hugo??!! But was he introduced as a friend, lover, Viebke’s future step daddy. And then what compelled Peder to sketch him??? Ughhh just so many questions!! I do hope that Marie and Peder’s life improve for the better.
Norgerie: Yeah, I hope she's in a better headspace. Three years later, Marie gives birth to a second daughter Margita, in Copenhagen.
Lizi: Congrats again. Ok, but did they get married and we missed it? Or no?
Jessica: Oh I thought she did it all in the same year. But eventually it happens right? Because she as the last name - or was it name change? Or it hasn’t happened yet?
Norgerie: Nope, not at that time. Which I found so interesting. Imagine the gossip around all of this during that time, a woman divorced and having a child out of wedlock. It makes me think that despite everything Marie was a woman who was not afraid to defy convention, live her life on her terms and I like that. I mean here's to hoping that's how it went down. But I'm not sure, I found no evidence to support or deny this claim I'm making up.
Lizi: I feel like that would have been scandalous for the time, so hopefully if there was gossip she was able to let it roll off her back.
Norgerie: Well since you asked about marriage, I'll tell you Hugo and Marie married on January 30, 1912.
Lizi: Congrats to the newlyweds!
Jessica: ahhhh there you go.
Norgerie: That same year they moved to "Alfvéngaard" in Tällberg, Sweden. This is a really special house because it was mostly all designed by Marie, including the furniture and interiors.
Jessica: ohh yes we love that!
Lizi: ooooo I hope we get pics.
Norgerie: Me too. In the design of her own home she combined vernacular Swedish building exteriors with Art Nouveau interiors.
Lizi: Love art nouveau.
Norgerie: After more than a decade of marriage, Marie found herself in a union that was not going well, and it came to an end in 1928.
Lizi: Sad! I am bummed for Marie.
Jessica: ohh noo
Norgerie: In need of a new start Marie moved to Stockholm, leaving behind the house she poured all her creative energy into. She remained in Stockholm until she passed away from cancer on May 25, 1940.
Jessica: Wait what?
Lizi: That would be really hard to leave a project that you had worked so hard on and had lived in. Also, I did not expect that to be the end! Also, were her daughters with her? I hope she felt more satisfied with her work later in life.
Norgerie: Oh I don't know where her daughters were. Sadly, from what I found, I don't think Marie was satisfied with her work later in life. She lived frustrated that she never achieved the recognition she knew she deserved only because she was a woman. That left her feeling despair, cause it felt out of her control.
Lizi: I’m so sad that she felt that way since it sounds like her work was significant and worth us learning about. Hence, this episode today!
Jessica: agreed, we are here today to share her story and to let the people know that her life mattered and that her work was not taken for granted..
Norgerie: She was a relatively unknown person until her daughter passed away in 1986. At that time the public had access to Marie's paintings and people were like, say what???? Marie is a Danish treasure! Today we can find her paintings at the Skagens Museum in Denmark.
Lizi: Wow, so glad to know that she got the recognition she deserved and craved! Even if it was after she passed away.
Jessica: here here!
Norgerie: Architecture to Denmark. Alright, now we have reached the second part of our episode, the Caryatid. A caryatid is a stone carving of a woman, used as a column or a pillar to support the structure of a Greek or Greek-style building. In each episode we choose a “caryatid” -- a woman who is working today, furthering the profession through their work, and who ties into the historical woman of our episode.
Norgerie: Drum roll please… Juliet Serem!
Lizi and Jessica: (applause) Yeay!
Norgerie: Juliet Serem, is a Kenyan American architect and the owner of Studio Boma located here in Houston. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland. Throughout her career she has worked on diverse projects ranging from Renovation, Education, and Commercial. Today she focuses on residential design and commercial interior remodels.
Lizi: Wooo Juliet! Can’t wait to hear more about her.
Jessica: For real - I’m excited just listening to that intro.
Norgerie: Like Marie, Juliet cares about opening doors for women in the profession, she served as Chair of the Women in Architecture Committee in Houston. Juliet lives in the home she designed for herself and her family and she's a painter too!
Lizi: Amazing! I love these connections with Marie.
Jessica: Well I’m hoping those are the ONLY things in common that she has with Marie.
Norgerie: Yeah, unlike Marie, Juliet is happily married, she lives a lovely life, filled with family and friends. We met at the Christopher Kelly Leadership Development Program, she was in my class and now I'm lucky to call her a friend and I'm glad we had a chance to shine a spotlight on her today. She's a beautiful soul and a shining star.
Lizi: Yay! I am so glad to hear it and so fun that ya’ll are friends. Juliet sounds like she’s doing awesome work.
Jessica: Agreed - and I'm even more glad that we are ending on a positive note.
Norgerie: Before we say goodbye we want to say thank you to CMYK for the music, John W our technical advisor. And most of all thank you for listening!
Lizi: Remember to check out our show notes for links to all of our resources on this episode as well as pictures of projects we’ve talked about.
Norgerie: We hope you enjoyed learning about today’s lady and caryatid along with our banter, and that you are inspired to find out more about them and other amazing professional ladies. Again, thank you.
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References
Marie Krøyer - Wikiwand. 25 May 1940, www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Marie_Kr%C3%B8yer.
Peskins, Agata. “Marie Kroyer – UN DIA | UNA ARQUITECTA 3.” UN DIA | UNA ARQUITECTA 3, 20 Nov. 2017, undiaunaarquitecta3.wordpress.com/tag/marie-kroyer.
Streton, Camilla. “Marie Krøyer – Naturalist and Colourist.” Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, 23 May 2024, bruun-rasmussen.dk/m/news/marie-kroyer-915-northern-light-20230812.
Images:
Marie Krøyer - Wikiwand. 25 May 1940, www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Marie_Kr%C3%B8yer.
Streton, Camilla. “Marie Krøyer – Naturalist and Colourist.” Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, 23 May 2024, bruun-rasmussen.dk/m/news/marie-kroyer-915-northern-light-20230812.
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