Else Kai Sass
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Else Kai Sass née Brasen Bjernede (1912–1987) was a Danish
art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
. After a period as a custodian at Thorvaldsens Museum, with her appointment as history of art professor at
Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...
in 1954, she became the third woman in Denmark to hold a professorship. Over the following 25 years she was a key figure in the development of the history of art as a modern academic discipline, becoming a professor at the University of Copenhagen in 1967. Her books include ''Thorvaldsens portrætbuster'', published in three volumes (1963–65) and still considered to be the standard work on the many
portrait bust A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. The bust is generally a p ...
s created by
Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...
.


Early life and family

Born in Copenhagen on 6 January 1912, Else Kai Brasen was the daughter of the clerk Valdemar Bjernede (born 1885) and Karen Margrethe Brasen (1878–1921). In March 1934, she married the painter Kai Louis Sass (1898–1957) with whom she had three children: Lotte (1934), Pernille (1938) and Karsten (1941). After matriculating from
Rysensteen Gymnasium Rysensteen Gymnasium is a gymnasium (upper secondary school) in Copenhagen, Denmark The school was established in 1881 as Laura Engelhardts Skole ("Laura Engelhardt's School") at Stormgade 16. In 1895 the school was moved to Rysensteensgade 3, ...
in 1930, she began studying art history at the University of Copenhagen. As a result of interruptions caused by stays in Paris and Rome and her marriage in 1934, she did not earn her master's degree until 1944.


Career

While studying in the late 1930s, Sass embarked on a long-lasting relationship with Thorvaldsens Museum. From 1939 to 1942, she was employed as an art critic by the newspaper '' Nationaltidende'' where she reported on the art scene in Paris. In 1940, she wrote an expertise on the paintings of Abraham Wuchters, part of which was published in 1942 as ''Bidrag til en Karakteristik af Abraham Wuchters Alderdomsværk'' in ''Kunstmuseets aarsskrift'' (Contribution to a charactarization of Abraham Wuchter's later work). In 1945, Sass became a custodian at Thorvaldsens Museum until 1954 when she was appointed professor of art history at Aarhus University. Not only was she the first woman to become a professor of art history but she was the third woman in Denmark to have a professorship of any kind. The first two were
Astrid Friis Astrid Friis (1893–1966) was a Danish historian. In 1945, she was appointed professor of history at the University of Copenhagen, so becoming the first female professor in a Danish university. She was immediately recognized as an outstanding res ...
(appointed professor of history at the University of Copenhagen in 1945) and Dora Sigurdsson (appointed professor of singing at the Music Conservatory in 1952). While in
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, she took a special interest in the art section of Aarhus Museum. With her earlier experience of custodianship and her interest in the history of art, she soon raised its status to one of Denmark's most important art museums. In 1967, Sass accepted an offer of the history of art professorship at the University of Copenhagen where she remained until her retirement in 1978. During her 25 years of professorship in Aarhus and Copenhagen, she developed history of art as a modern academic discipline backed by the highly qualified staff she brought in. In 1970, she took the initiative to launch the journal ''HAFNIA: Copenhagen Papers in the History of Art'' which was published by the university until 1987. She was also active internationally as the Danish representative of
Comité International d'Histoire de l'Art The Comité International d'Histoire de l'Art (CIHA) is an international committee that endeavors to improve art historical research. It was created in 1930 in order to develop the historical and methodological study of artistic activities and pro ...
, organizing the 1978 colloquium in Copenhagen. Among Sass's publications are the three-volume ''Thorvaldsens Portrætbuster'' (1963–65) and a new edition of ''Kunstforståelse - maleri'' (Understanding Art - Painting), published in 1967. Else Kai Sass died in Copenhagen on 16 December 1987 and was buried in the cemetery at Tibirke Cemetery near