Johannes Holbek

Johannes Holbek was a Danish painter and illustrator who was known for his social realist paintings of poor and exposed groups in the 1880s and 1890s. He was also a prominent illustrator for the weekly magazine Ude og Hjemme and books such as Peters Jul by Pietro Krohn. He was part of the group Bogstaveligheden, a forum for the Realists' humanitarian ideals about creating a better society through illumination and debate. He also painted historical scenes, such as the mural in the banquet hall of the University of Copenhagen depicting the banquet at the Scandinavian Scientist Conference held in Roskilde in 1847. He won several awards and distinctions, including the Academy's Annual Medal in 1887 and 1890, the Ancher Prize in 1889, and the Eckersberg Medal in 1892. He was also a knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and received the Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn. He died in Copenhagen in 1903 at the age of 30.