Erik Thommesen (15 February 1916 – 22 August 2008) was a Danish sculptor who worked mainly with wood, creating

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

representations of the human figure inspired by African sculpture.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, Thommesen began to draw and paint when he was 20 but soon moved to sculpture. Although he studied zoology for a time at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

, as an artist he self-taught. Most of his works are wood, a few pieces are stone and even fewer, bronze. They all depict the human form, in his attempt to find the most expressive way in which to represent man and his relationship to his surroundings. In 1962 he described his work as follows: "The portrait, the head, the upright man; man and woman, mother and child — or perhaps rather their body's relationship to the surrounding space." His figures are crafted in an almost

style with bowed heads or emaciated bodies. Recognizable features such as arms, legs and face are absent, leaving only the body itself. Notable items from the 1940s include a series based on the theme ''Pige med fletning'' (Girl with Braid) culminating in 1948 with a piece in which the body and the braid form a solid pillar. Another subject is the human head which develops into a block-like shape. In 1948, after discovering

Astrid Noack Astrid Noack (30 January 1888 – 26 December 1954) was a Danish sculptor who specialized in the human figure, creating works such as the statue of Anna Ancher in Skagen, and her ''Standing Woman (Noack), Standing Woman'' which was included in th ...

's Naturalistic works he tried to give his own sculptures most expressiveness, often looking like blocks or tree-trunks. His work is inspired by African sculpture as well as by the work of

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

Aristide Maillol Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford University P ...

. Many of Thommesen's works are in the collection of

Statens Museum for Kunst The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...

Awards

In 1965, he was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The Ec ...

and in 1972, the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within the visual arts. It ...

. He received the

Prince Eugen Medal The Prince Eugen Medal ( sv, Prins Eugen-medaljen) is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V, in connection with the eightieth birthd ...

for sculpture from the King of Sweden in 1982.

References

Literature

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External links

Examples of Thommesen's work from Holstebro Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thommesen, Erik 1916 births 2008 deaths Danish sculptors Danish male artists Sculptors from Copenhagen Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal 20th-century sculptors Male sculptors