Anchers Hus – Home of the Skagen Painters

A Red House at the Heart of Skagen’s Art Story

Anchers Hus is more than a museum; it is the preserved home of Anna and Michael Ancher, two of the most important painters in the Skagen artists’ colony. Set just off Markvej, the red-painted house immediately stands out, yet its scale still feels like that of a family home. The couple bought the property in 1884, shortly after their daughter Helga was born, when it was still a modest, low building along the road. Inside, you step directly into the world that shaped many of the iconic Skagen paintings. Rooms, doorways and corridors lead you through the private setting where artists, writers and friends gathered, debated and worked, giving this small estate an outsized place in Danish cultural history.

Rooms Frozen in Time Since 1935

One of the most striking aspects of Anchers Hus is that the interior is still furnished as it was when Anna Ancher died in 1935. The old kitchen, with its sturdy range and practical cupboards, evokes the everyday rhythm of a working household. Nearby, a compact bathroom hints at the comforts that success gradually brought the family. Furniture, textiles and decorative items have been left largely in place, from painted doors with birds to small personal objects on tables and shelves. Moving from room to room, you sense not just the public image of celebrated artists, but their domestic life: where they ate, read, entertained guests and planned new works.

Studios Filled with Skagen Art

As the Anchers’ reputation and family grew, more space was needed. In 1913, architect Ulrik Plesner designed a dedicated studio building to the north of the original house, connected by an intermediate wing. This addition gave the property a stately, almost villa-like presence that reflected their success. The light-filled studios are now packed with paintings, sketches and studies by Anna and Michael, as well as works by their daughter Helga and other Skagen painters. Canvases lean against walls, hang salon-style and sit on easels, creating a dense, immersive environment. Rather than a neutral gallery, it feels like an artist’s workspace left mid-conversation, where you can trace experiments with composition, changing palettes and evolving themes.

Everyday Life of a Celebrated Artist Family

Anchers Hus offers a rare, intimate perspective on the social side of the Skagen colony. Portraits of friends, fellow artists and visiting writers line the walls, forming a visual network of the people who passed through the house. This was a place where dinners, discussions and collaborations unfolded, all within earshot of the North Sea and Skagen’s shifting light. The contrast between formal portraits, informal sketches and family scenes reveals the different roles the Anchers played: respected artists, hosts and parents. Seeing their art alongside their dining table, wardrobes and personal mementos makes the story tangible, turning names from art history into a lived, domestic narrative.

Garden Calm and Historic Outbuildings

Outside, a generous garden wraps around the house, softening the architecture with lawns, trees and seasonal flowers. Paths lead past sheltered corners where you can pause and imagine the artists stepping out to study the sky or light before returning to their canvases. In the grounds stands the yellow-plastered Saxilds Gaard, a historic farm building that extends the sense of place and local history. Together, the garden and outbuildings add another layer to the visit: the feeling of a self-contained enclave where art, family life and Skagen’s landscape intertwined for decades.

Part of a Trio of Skagen Art Homes

Anchers Hus forms a natural counterpart to Skagens Museum and the home of poet and painter Holger Drachmann elsewhere in town. Where the museum focuses on major works, this house emphasises context—how and where the artists lived and worked. For anyone interested in Nordic art, coastal light or the everyday world behind famous paintings, this quietly evocative home is an essential stop in Skagen.