Nanna Hertoft was born in Frederiksberg in 1936. Coming from an artistically oriented family (her parents are the artists Henry and Mille Heerup), she grew up in a nurturing environment that stimulated her natural interest in artistic forms of expression. This allowed her to learn many important lessons. She acquired first-hand technical knowledge and had access to quality material and tools, but at the same time experienced the financial difficulties and the precariousness which is often inevitable when choosing this professional activity and lifestyle. This made Hertoft very aware of the challenges involved, and clearly had an impact on her own artistic journey. In this nonetheless privileged and enriching environment, she crossed paths with some of the seminal names of the Danish Cobra movement, such as Egill Jacobsen, Asger Jorn, Sonja Ferlov Mancoba, Else Alfelt and Carl-Henning Pedersen.
In spite of the knowledge and appreciation she had for her father’s art, and unlike her brother Ole Heerup who further developed their paternal heritage, Nanna Hertoft followed in her mother’s footsteps, taking up picture weaving. Specifically, she adopted her mother’s controversial but unique template-less technique, which eschewed the traditional approach. The advantages of working in this free manner are that the motifs, forms and landscapes are entirely intuitive, improvised, natural, organic and therefore representative of their weaver. Her personal style made its debut at the Artists’ Autumn Exhibition 1960. Since then, Hertoft has developed her own lyrical abstraction, expanding into large independent formats that can, if displayed together, be perceived as fragments of a larger coherent whole.
Visually and technically, Hertoft has stayed true to her surroundings, using colours typical of the Nordic vernacular, all naturally sourced in local plants, and used to dye materials such as wool, cotton or linen. Keen to promote her culture and put it in the spotlight, she joined the Colourists in 1972, an association which opened many doors. In 1989, she was made chairperson of the association, using this opportunity to create a positive dynamic through collaborations, exhibitions and publications. Her knowledge of Denmark’s cultural infrastructure, financial opportunities (foundations and grants) and her extensive network in the Nordic countries have been crucial to her success.
Nanna Hertoft’s double commitment as a textile and visual artist has led her to occupy a number of positions of trust, including in various committees, the Danish Crafts Council 1978-1984, the Statens Kunstfond (Danish Arts Foundation) committee for arts and crafts 1981-1983, the Academy Council 1990-1994 and from 1996 the Board of Representatives of the Statens Kunstfond. She has received several scholarships and honours, including the Eckersberg Medal in 1987, the Tagea Brandt Travel Scholarship in 1991 and the Anne Marie Telmányis Scholarship in 1995.
