Decoration Details

Nexø School belongs to the great and important Gernes decorations, both quantitatively and qualitatively, with a wealth of details, variations on previous motifs and unique innovations. It all began in 1983 when school principal Birgitte Kann Rasmussen contacted Poul Gernes after she had read his feature article in Information Hvad er kunst og hvad er det ikke (What is art and what is it not). 

In Easter 1985 Gernes came to Nexø School to decorate the newly built wing with teachers’ room and library. In both rooms the walls from floor to ceiling were decorated with like rhubarb-like leaves. 

The ceiling rafters were embellished with old Danish proverbs. The teachers had a competition to deliver adages in Bornholm’s dialect. "Hanj stjærnada som en røtta på enj molluer ost". "Sjænt sajs gjør sjævmunjad skrædara." The words were calligraphed by Georg Jansen whom Poul Gernes had met shortly before this time. Jansen had developed his own script based on the study of old lettering. His calligraphic skills were also employed at the Panum Institute, Rebæk Søpark Student Housing and several other places.