Child/Children with Rhubarb

There are no known descriptions or photographs of this painting, but the title indicates that it is one of Astrup’s garden pictures, depicting a big rhubarb plant and one or more children. Possible reference works include two paintings entitled Rhubarb (K110 and K148), but as well as the children, they include a woman by the rhubarb.

This unknown version was loaned to the Astrup exhibition in Copenhagen in 1965. The owner listed in the exhibition catalogue is the shipowner Hilmar Reksten (1897–1980). In the 1970s, Reksten owned Norway’s biggest collection of Astrup’s art, but the work is not listed in the catalogue of Reksten’s collection (1972). The history of the work is therefore unknown before and after 1965.

In 1965, “Child/Children with Rhubarb” was listed as measuring 89 x 107 cm, which is the same dimensions as Rhubarb (K148). It should be noted that there is no stamp from the 1965 exhibition on the back of Rhubarb, nor is the owner listed in the catalogue, which argues against this being the same work. Rather it is reasonable to think that the uknown is a variant or a replika of the rhubarb motif.