About Erik Ortvad
Lived 1917 – 2008 (aged 90). Erik Ortvad was a Danish painter and draftsperson.
Erik Ortvad (18 June 1917 in Copenhagen – 29 February 2008 in Kvänjarp) was a painter and a creator of many drawings. He debuted as a painter in 1935. He is mostly known for colorful surrealistic paintings. . He also created several hundred satiric drawings about the modern way of life under the pseudonym Enrico.
In 1948 he was a founding member of the COBRA avant-garde art movement.
He is represented in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
During the second world war he lived as a refugee in Sweden due to communist sympathies and a Jewish wife, and in 1962 he returned and settled in a croft in Kvänjarp, Ljungby Municipality, Småland, Sweden where he lived for the rest of his life.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Erik Ortvad's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Erik Ortvad?
Danish artist (1917-2008)
When was Erik Ortvad born?
Erik Ortvad was born on 18 June 1917 in Copenhagen.
When did Erik Ortvad die?
Erik Ortvad died on 29 February 2008 in Ljungby Municipality.
What was Erik Ortvad's occupation?
Erik Ortvad was a painter and draftsperson.
What nationality was Erik Ortvad?
Erik Ortvad was Danish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Erik Ortvad. https://biography.guide/erik-ortvad/
MLA: "Erik Ortvad." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/erik-ortvad/.
Chicago: "Erik Ortvad." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/erik-ortvad/.
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