Long before he met Marie, Hugo Alfvén had been struck by her beauty in Krøyer's paintings.
After seeing her portraits, he asserted: "I had never seen a more beautiful woman and the grace and elegance of her figure left me utterly bewitched."
While she was in Taormina with her daughter Vibeke, Marie wanted her friend the singer Anna Norrie to come and join her.
As Norrie was staying with Alfvén in Berlin, Marie invited both of them.
Alfvén, five years her junior, began to pursue her immediately, and Marie quickly succumbed.
Their affair was so passionate that immediately after her trip to Italy, Marie went to Paris and asked Krøyer for a divorce.
Krøyer refused, believing Marie had nothing more than a passing infatuation, and ordered her back to Skagen.
Krøyer was mistaken; the relationship persisted, and Marie never missed an opportunity to be together with Alfvén in Skagen, Copenhagen or even Sweden.
After she became pregnant in 1905, Krøyer finally acquiesced to the demands for a divorce, but he maintained custody of Vibeke.
Most of Krøyer's friends broke off contact with her when, as she wrote, she "committed the inconceivably foolish act of leaving Krøyer – that good, magnanimous and delightful man"; only Michael and Anna Ancher remained her close friends.

Marie's second daughter, Margita, was born in Copenhagen in 1905.
She spent two years raising the child there until she joined Alfvén in Sweden in 1907.
Krøyer, whose health had worsened since the divorce, died in Skagen in November 1909; Marie, now calling herself Marie Alfvén, returned for the funeral although she had been asked to stay away.

Alfvén had first been hesitant to marry Marie, fearing repercussions on his career as a choirmaster.
The wedding finally took place on 30 January 1912 in Uppsala, after which the couple moved into a new house, "Alfvéngaard", in Tällberg.
Built entirely to her own design, Alfvéngaard can be considered Marie Krøyer's masterpiece, especially as she also created the furniture and interiors, and she designed a number of beautiful little buildings in the local style around the estate.

Once again, Marie had become a partner in an unhappy marriage.
Even before the wedding, she had discovered Alfvén had been unfaithful to her with a number of women, but she went ahead with the wedding anyway for Margita's sake.
Alfvén became increasingly unstable, requesting a divorce in 1928.
Marie at first refused, but after ever more serious difficulties in their relationship and numerous courtroom disputes, the couple finally divorced in 1936.
Alfvéngaard, a major point of contention, was left to Margita while Marie moved to Stockholm where she lived alone for the remainder of her life.
Long before he met Marie, Hugo Alfvén had been struck by her beauty in Krøyer's paintings. After seeing her portraits, he asserted: "I had never seen a more beautiful woman and the grace and elegance of her figure left me utterly bewitched." While she was in Taormina with her daughter Vibeke, Marie wanted her friend the singer Anna Norrie to come and join her. As Norrie was staying with Alfvén in Berlin, Marie invited both of them. Alfvén, five years her junior, began to pursue her immediately, and Marie quickly succumbed. Their affair was so passionate that immediately after her trip to Italy, Marie went to Paris and asked Krøyer for a divorce. Krøyer refused, believing Marie had nothing more than a passing infatuation, and ordered her back to Skagen. Krøyer was mistaken; the relationship persisted, and Marie never missed an opportunity to be together with Alfvén in Skagen, Copenhagen or even Sweden. After she became pregnant in 1905, Krøyer finally acquiesced to the demands for a divorce, but he maintained custody of Vibeke. Most of Krøyer's friends broke off contact with her when, as she wrote, she "committed the inconceivably foolish act of leaving Krøyer – that good, magnanimous and delightful man"; only Michael and Anna Ancher remained her close friends.
Marie's second daughter, Margita, was born in Copenhagen in 1905. She spent two years raising the child there until she joined Alfvén in Sweden in 1907. Krøyer, whose health had worsened since the divorce, died in Skagen in November 1909; Marie, now calling herself Marie Alfvén, returned for the funeral although she had been asked to stay away.
Alfvén had first been hesitant to marry Marie, fearing repercussions on his career as a choirmaster. The wedding finally took place on 30 January 1912 in Uppsala, after which the couple moved into a new house, "Alfvéngaard", in Tällberg. Built entirely to her own design, Alfvéngaard can be considered Marie Krøyer's masterpiece, especially as she also created the furniture and interiors, and she designed a number of beautiful little buildings in the local style around the estate.
Once again, Marie had become a partner in an unhappy marriage. Even before the wedding, she had discovered Alfvén had been unfaithful to her with a number of women, but she went ahead with the wedding anyway for Margita's sake. Alfvén became increasingly unstable, requesting a divorce in 1928. Marie at first refused, but after ever more serious difficulties in their relationship and numerous courtroom disputes, the couple finally divorced in 1936. Alfvéngaard, a major point of contention, was left to Margita while Marie moved to Stockholm where she lived alone for the remainder of her life.
Marie Krøyer