“Club Tropicana” @ Gallery Poulsen, Copenhagen 2025
– A Critical Review
Gallery Poulsen is no toffee-nosed exclusively profit driven art market snare nor is it unaware of itself & the significant cultural influence it has on both the local art scene in Copenhagen and the ever-expanding audience it garners abroad. Although its gravity attracts some of the brightest artists from NYC & beyond, the real magic of Gallery Poulsen lies in the imagination & vision of its founder & director Morton Poulsen whose measure of infectious charm & down-to-earth business savvy is alchemically precise. His program navigates the wild line between quality & levity, garnering critical acclaim while offering a comfortably entertaining, yet thoroughly thought-provoking respite to his vast collector base who would otherwise be preoccupied by the stressful but lucrative industries of high finance, real estate, digital programming & green energy. Poulsen’s mission isn’t to educate or convert you to any specific political philosophy or aesthetic ideal. Rather, he offers an opportunity for all to contemplate a vast array of subjects ranging from hope & chaos to community, intimacy, sensuality, technology, mythology & humor.
Specializing in meticulously crafted figurative works mixing old-school technical skill with contemporary storytelling, Poulsen is painting-heavy, but always ambitious, theatrical, & stimulating. It is simultaneously accessible & provocative which is a rough ask these days. People often think that commercially successful artists are born with a kind of magical supernatural talent & sure, a handful might be, but for the most part, an overwhelming majority of them have diligently committed years of studio practice & strict discipline to the evolution of both craft and concept. That’s the sort of dedication that really separates the wheat from the chaff in a cut-throat industry inundated with more talent & aspiring creatives than it could ever reasonably serve. It’s also arguably what brings all the artists in Morton’s stable together as a close-knit family. Many of the gallery’s artists—like J.P. Roy, John Jacobsmeyer & Nicola Verlato—use extreme techniques (almost cinematic in clarity) but build imaginative, layered narratives that feel like they belong both in Old Master paintings & in contemporary film. Other artists include Michelle Doll & Emilia Nurmivaara, whose intimate narratives bridge the tender moments of family life with emotionally relatable archetypes dressed up in modern interpretations of clear art historical references.
Housed in a former slaughterhouse in the brown zone of Kødbyen, Poulsen is the standout cultural hub of Copenhagen’s former meat packing district. While Kødbyen continues to evolve into a vibrant creative & culinary laboratory, there is an intact sense of city history embedded in the gritty industrial buildings. It is the essence of hip industrial chic, which is an excellent backdrop for Poulsen’s unique approach to opening receptions. Featuring unparalleled access for collectors to meet and dine with artists, these are coveted invitation only events. Furnished with everything from candelabras to white glove table service & 4 course curated menus catered by top chefs, they emotionally resonate between pop punk Great Gatsby collations & creative think tank award ceremonies. Everyone here is brilliant in one way or another & to describe these receptions as sales opportunities or networking events would be accurate, but would also undermine the sincere intention of community development & relationship building that goes on even well after the official party is over.
Depending on your familiarity with the gallery’s past programing, you may or may not be surprised to find out that this year’s summer show is inspired once again by pop culture of the 80’s & 90’s. Poulsen’s lifetime love affair with the music of George Michael is on view as much as the art. Few people born after 2000 understand George Michael’s cultural significance & even fewer know that he was an avid art collector. Poulsen knows, and has titled this year’s summertime group exhibition, “Club Tropicana”, as an homage to WHAM!’s first big hit in 1983.
“Club Tropicana” is on view from 8/16 through 9/27. If you have the means, go have a look. Have a chat with the knowledgeable staff as well. For more information contact Gallery Poulsen, Staldgade 32, Copenhagen info@gallerypoulsen.com or on tel. + 45 33 33 93 96
Featured artist include: Michael Ahlefeldt, Azucena Merkel, Ryan Davis, Michelle Doll, Carl Dobsky, Angela Gram, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Anne Herrero, Landon Bailey Higgins, Rainer Hosch, John Jacobsmeyer, Søren Nellemann, Emilia Nurmivaara, Rebecca Orcutt, William Powhida, Jean Pierre Roy, Taylor Schultek, Jed Webster Smith, German Tellez, Lorenzo Tonda, Nicola Verlato, Sebas Velasco, Stephen Vollo, Jingyi Wang, Monica Whalley, Barnaby Whitfield & Jiannan Wu.
Club Tropicana 2025 is 5 stars for sure.