Per Lasson Krohg (18 June 1889 – 3 March 1965) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

artist. He is best known for the mural he created for the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

Chamber, located in the

United Nations headquarters The United Nations is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States, and the complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1951. It is in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neig ...

in New York City.

Biography

Per Krohg was born in

Åsgårdstrand Åsgårdstrand is a small port town in Horten municipality, Vestfold, Norway. It is also the name of a former independent municipality and a center of trade. The town is situated 10 km south of Horten, 10 km north of Tønsberg and 100&n ...

, Norway, the son of painters

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

and

Oda Krohg Oda Krohg (born Othilia Pauline Christine Lasson; 11 June 1860 – 19 October 1935) was a Norwegian painter, and the wife of her teacher and colleague Christian Krohg. Biography She was the second daughter of public attorney Christian ...

. The family lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where Per Krohg grew up. He showed artistic talent early, and studied first with his father (from 1903 to 1907), then with

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 ...

(from 1909 to 1910). In the early years he worked as a newspaper illustrator and taught tango in Paris. While in Paris, he was also the instructor of future architect

Maja Melandsø Maja Melandsø, born Marie Sofie Melandsø, (14 January 1906 – 12 December 1981) was a Norwegian architect and painter. She was a pioneer in several areas: she was one of the first women architects to complete their studies at the Norwegian I ...

. Krohg's work as an artist covered a wide field, from paper drawings, illustrations, and posters to set design, sculpture, and monumental paintings. After returning to Norway in 1930 he taught at the National College of Art and Design in Oslo. During the Second World War, he was a forced laborer at the

Veidal Prison Camp The Veidal Prison Camp ( no, Veidal fangeleir, german: Gefangenenlager Veidal Kvænangen) was established in Kvænangen in August 1942 by the German occupation authorities. The prison camp was a subunit of the Grini Prison Camp and, together with t ...

. In 1946 he was appointed professor at the National Art Academy, and served as its director from 1955 to 1958. Among others, his students included artists Frithjof Tidemand-Johannessen and Tulla Blomberg Ranslet. UN security council 2005

Krohg created the murals for the

Chamber, located in the United Nations building in New York City. He adorned many other public buildings with large

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es, including the Physics and Chemistry Buildings at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

and the

Oslo City Hall Oslo City Hall ( no, Oslo rådhus) is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organisations. The building as it stands today was constructed between ...

. He is represented with six works in the collection at the

National Gallery of Denmark 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 ...

. Per Lasson Krohg
''Store norske leksikon'' In 1950 he received the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in gold, and 1955 he was appointed Commander of the Order of St. Olav. From 1936 he was a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and in 1948 he was awarded 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 ...

Personal life

He was married twice. In 1915 he married textile artist Cécile Marie ("Lucy") Vidil (1891–1977). Their marriage was dissolved in 1934. He was married in 1934 to Ragnhild Helene Andersen (1908–1972). He was the father of Norwegian artist Guy Krohg (1917–2002).

References

Other sources

*Nergaard, Trygve ''Bilder av Per Krohg'' (Aschehoug. 2000) *Hölaas, O. ''Per Krohg. A retrospective loan exhibition of oil paintings'' (New York: Galerie St. Etienne, 1954) *Langaard, Johan ''Per Krohg'' (Glendendal Norsk Forlat. 1931)

External links

Security Council Chamber paintingFamily genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krohg, Per Lasson 1889 births 1965 deaths People from Horten Muralists Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters Order of Saint Olav 20th-century Norwegian male artists