Rohde first exhibited at
Charlottenborg's spring exhibition in 1888 with an everyday scene:
En Beværtningshave i Udkanten af København (A Tavern Garden on the Outskirts of Copenhagen). When his paintings were later refused by the Academy, together with those of
Vilhelm Hammershøi,
Fritz Syberg,
Joakim Skovgaard and
Julius Paulsen, in 1888 he and Rasmus Christiansen arranged an exhibition of refused works in their studio. In 1890, with
J.F. Willumsen, Hammershøi,
Harald and
Agnes Slott-Møller and
Christian Mourier-Petersen, he established
Den Frie Udstilling where he exhibited throughout his life. Rohde travelled widely, not only exhibiting his works, but playing a key role for Danish art until 1914 by following news trends, making new contacts and writing carefully formulated articles in the Danish newspapers. He had eye for works of value, buying a painting by
Van Gogh in Paris in 1892 (now in the
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. ==Design==