Rikard Axel Poulsen (1 December 1887 – 22 August 1972) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered for his memorials in Copenhagen's Fælledparken and Aarhus' Marselisborg Mindeparken.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, he was brought up in Odense where he was introduced to wood carving by his father. He went on to study sculpture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under

Carl Aarsleff Carl Vilhelm Oluf Peter Aarsleff (14 August 1852 – 4 January 1918) was a Danish sculptor. Biography Aarsleff was born in Nyborg on the island of Funen. He trained as a wood carver with his father before going to Copenhagen where he studied at ...

and

Joakim Skovgaard Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate Viborg Cathedral. Biography Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and paintin ...

. He was awarded the Academy's gold medal in 1913 for his relief ''Christus uddriver Kræmmerne af Templet'' (Christ drive the moneylenders from the temple). From 1912, he exhibited at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition. He then spend a few years in Rome and Florence where in 1914 he completed his ''Den første Kærlighed'' (First Love) in the Italian Renaissance style, inspired by

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...

's figure of St John. The work represented a new theme, the sexuality youth. In 1917, he married the Swedish writer and artist

Elisabeth Bergstrand-Poulsen Anna Elisabeth Albertina Bergstrand-Poulsen (12 November 1887 – 18 February 1955) was a Swedish writer, painter, illustrator and textile artist who lived in Denmark after marrying the sculptor Axel Poulsen in 1917. As a painter, she exhibited f ...

. They lived in Charlottenlund to the north of Copenhagen and had two sons, Ivar (1918) and Hans (1920). In 1926, he won the competition for a bronze memorial of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Known as the ''Genforenings-monument'' (Reunion Monument), it is installed at the entrance to Copenhagen's Fælledparken. Other monuments included the Marselisborg memorial to the First World War, the Second World War memorial in

Ryvangen Ryvangen or Ryvangskvarteret (English language, English: The Ryvang neighbourhood) is a neighbourhood of single-family detached homes in the northern part of Østerbro, on the border with Hellerup, in Copenhagen, Denmark. History The name Ryvangen ...

(1946) and ''Kongehyldningsmonument'' (King's Tribute Monument) in Viborg (1965) depicting

Margrethe I Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...

and

Eric of Pomerania Eric of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was the ruler of the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439, succeeding his grandaunt, Queen Margaret I. He is known as Eric III as King of Norway (1389–1442), Eric VII as King of Denmark (1396 ...

. In all these works, Poulsen succeeds in expressing human feelings in natural and simple style.

Awards

In 1914 Poulsen was awarded the Eckersberg Medal and in 1963 he received the Thorvaldsen Medal. In 1962, he was decorated Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

References

Literature

External links

Photographs of Poulsen's ''Den første kærligheden'' (The First Love) from wishu2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poulsen, Rikard 1887 births 1972 deaths Danish sculptors Danish male artists Artists from Copenhagen Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog 20th-century sculptors Male sculptors