Carl-Henning Pedersen (1913-2007) was among the members of the Danish Cobra group who were at the forefront in the international group exhibitions, and he was liked and respected by the members of the Dutch group, who found his excentricity charming.

Eugène Brands had been somewhat reluctantly talked into joining the Cobra movement by his Dutch artist colleagues, and his relationship to the group was complex. He worried that the interests of the community and the individual artist would prove to be incompatible and left the movement in 1949 - just one year after the formation of Cobra.

The two artists, both of whom were born in 1913, occasionally share the same inspiration but practice their art differently. Where Brands can be seen as the introvert thinking artist whose work is the result of intellectual contemplation, Pedersen's approach is more spontaneous and expressive. It was through the creative process itself that the latter found artistic depth. Both artists were inspired by surrealism and children's drawings.

The paper works of both artists feature prominently among the 40-50 artworks chosen for the exhibition. With contributions from several private collections, BRANDS & PEDERSEN offers a nuanced view of the artistic production of both painters as well as their relation to the Cobra movement.

BRANDS & PEDERSEN is curated by CHPEA Museum Director Lotte Korshøj, M.A. in Art History, and M.A. in Art History Lars Olesen. Eugenie Brands, the daughter of Eugène Brands, has kindly made some of her father's works from her own collection available for the exhibition.