Hanna Gabrielle Hoffmann (1858–1917) was a Norwegian-born Danish

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary great ...

and weaver. In 1892, Hoffmann became the first woman in Denmark to graduate as a sculptor after attending the women's department (Kunstakademiets Kunstskole for Kvinder) of the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

. After an extended stay in Paris where she worked as a silversmith, she returned to Denmark in 1905 and practised weaving under Kristiane Konstantin-Hansen and

Johanne Bindesbøll Karen Johanne Bindesbøll (1851–1934) was a Danish textile artist who specialized in embroidery. Together with Kristiane Konstantin-Hansen, from 1873 she ran a retail business in Copenhagen, selling embroidered goods and training young women t ...

. In 1913, she established a wool-colouring business in

Birkerød Birkerød () is a town in Rudersdal Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is surrounded by several lakes and small woodlands. Birkerød station is located on the Hillerød radial of the S-train suburban network. Hist ...

Early life and education

Born on 9 May 1858 in

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

, Norway, Hanna Gabrielle Hoffmann was the daughter of the Norwegian merchant Gottfred Anthon Hoffmann (1826–1905) and his Danish wife Clara Emilie Constance née Bützow (1824–1917). From the age of six, she was raised in Denmark. After her confirmation, she was trained by the painter

Vilhelm Kyhn Peter Vilhelm Carl Kyhn (March 30, 1819 – May 11, 1903) was a Danish landscape painter who belonged to the generation of national romantic painters immediately after the Danish Golden Age and before the Modern Breakthrough. Even though he outliv ...

. From 1885, she attended the

Tegne- og Kunstindustriskolen for Kvinder Tegne- og Kunstindustriskolen for Kvinder (literally Draftsmanship and Industrial Design School for Women but sometimes referred to as the Arts and Crafts School for Women) was a private Danish educational establishment in Copenhagen. From 1875, it ...

until 1888 when she became one of the first students of sculpture under

August Saabye August Vilhelm Saabye (7 August 1823 – 12 November 1916), also known as August Wilhelm Saabye, was a Danish sculptor. Early life and education Saabye was born in Skivholme, , Aarhus, the son of vicar Erhard Saabye (1778–1851) and Susa ...

and

Theobald Stein Theobald Stein (7 February 1829 – 16 November 1901) was a Danish sculptor. He was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and served as its director from 1883 to 1886. Among his most well-known works are the Niels Juel statue ...

in the newly established women's section at the Royal Academy, receiving her diploma in 1892. As a result, she became the first woman to graduate as a sculptor in Denmark.

Career

In 1893, she exhibited a bust at the

Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition The Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition (''Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling'') is an annual art exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event is held at the Charlottenborg Exhibition Building (''Kunsthal Charlottenborg''). Kunsthal Charlottenborg ...

. After training as a silversmith under

Vilhelm Christesen Frederik Christian Vilhelm Christesen (4 July 1822 – 29 December 1899) was a Danish goldsmith and silversmith. His firm was from 1858 based at Amaliegade 11 in Copenhagen. Early life and education Christesen was born on 4 July 1822 in Copenha ...

, she took advantage of her travel scholarship and moved to Paris in 1894 where she spent several years working for French companies. She attempted to make a career in London but although she managed to sell some artefacts to the

South Kensington Museum South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

, she found her prospects too limited. In France, she hoped in vain to become a metalwork designer, nevertheless associating with the sculptor and metalworker

Jean Dampt Jean Baptiste Auguste Dampt (1854–1945) was a French sculptor, medalist, and jeweler. Biography Born in Venarey-les-Laumes as the son of a cabinetmaker, Dampt studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, then in 1874 under the leadership of ...

. She soon realized however that the best she could hope for was to work as a decorator and engraver. On her return to Denmark in 1905, she trained as a weaver with Konstantin-Hansen and Bindesbøll who had themselves gained experience with the

Gobelins Manufactory The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieval ...

in Paris. In 1912, she learnt wool colouring in Sweden. The following year, she opened a wool-colouring business in Birkerød, Denmark. Hanno Hoffmann died in Birkerød on 26 February 1917 and was buried in Copenhagen's

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmann, Hanna 1858 births 1917 deaths People from Molde 19th-century Danish artists 19th-century Danish women artists 20th-century Danish artists 20th-century Danish women artists Danish sculptors Danish women sculptors Danish silversmiths Danish textile artists Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Burials at Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen Norwegian emigrants to Denmark