Else Marie Bukdahl dies at 89

Danish art historian Else Marie Bukdahl, former rector of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, has died at the age of 89, her family confirmed to Kristeligt Dagblad.

Bukdahl served as rector of the academy’s visual arts schools for 20 years, from 1985 to 2005, becoming its first female rector. She led the education of generations of students in art theory and history.

Born in Brørup, she was the daughter of poet Jørgen Bukdahl and art historian Magnhild Ødvin Bukdahl. She earned a degree in literary history from Aarhus University and studied at Lund and Uppsala universities in Sweden, as well as in Rome.

Bukdahl gained international recognition for her 1980 doctoral dissertation on the works of French philosopher Denis Diderot. She also held positions promoting Danish art, including roles with the New Carlsberg Foundation, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, and the Danish National Research Foundation. She served on the Danish Council of Ethics and was a member of the Danish Bible Society’s hymnal committee.