Kristen "Kræsten" Iversen (, 26 January 1886 - 9 August 1955) was a Danish artist who is remembered both for his paintings and his painted glass windows. He was a member of the

Bornholm school of painters The Bornholm school of painters (''Bornholmerskolen'') started to take shape towards the beginning of the 20th century on the Danish island of Bornholm when a number of artists developed a distinctive style of classic modernism, inspired by the i ...

and a professor at 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 ...

Biography

Iversen was born in the parish of Holsted in

Vejen Municipality Vejen Municipality is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 817 km2, and has a total population of 42,742 (2020). Its mayor is Egon ...

, Denmark. He was the son of Niels Laurids Pedersen (1848–1902) and Grethe Hansen (1851–1910). Between 1904-1905, He trained at the

Copenhagen Technical College Copenhagen Technical College (Danish: Københavns Tekniske Skole, KTS) is a school of secondary education in Copenhagen, Denmark. The school offers educational programmes within the technical sciences on a secondary level to post-primary youth, Hig ...

. He exhibited several time during 1910-1918 at the Artists' Autumn Exhibition. In 1919, he exhibited four works at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition. In 1920, he visited

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

for the first time where the natural colours and distinctive light influenced his landscapes . Between 1927–31, he performed the large painted ceiling decoration in the royal hall at

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...

. His first work with glass was for stained glass windows at Risskov Church. Iversen also designed th
window in the North Chapel at Fårevejle Church
He went on to decorate the windows of the Danish church in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. He decorated a number of other buildings including

Christiansborg Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...

, the city hall 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 ...

and the windows of Sankt Nicolai Church in

Svendborg Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.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 ...

in 1923. He became a knight 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 ...

in 1932. He was professor at the

from 1930 until his death and served director of the Academy 1949-1952. He died during 1955 in Copenhagen. Kristen "Kræsten" Iversen from Gravsted.dk (in Danish).
Retrieved 13 December 2008.

References

External links

Windows of Sankt Nikolai church in Kolding with Iversen's windows.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iversen, Kraesten 1886 births 1955 deaths People from Vejen Municipality 20th-century Danish painters Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Directors of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Burials at the Garrison Cemetery, Copenhagen