Sofus Trygve Madsen (June 11, 1881 – January 19, 1977) was a Norwegian sculptor that has influenced the cityscape of Bergen with a total of 28 major and minor works. He was the son of the teacher and author

Theodor Madsen Hans Mathias Theodor Jacob Madsen (January 14, 1858 – November 5, 1935) was a Norwegians, Norwegian writer. Madsen debuted with the novel ''I Drift'' (In Operation) in 1890. Most of his works are written in the Naturalism (literature), Natural ...

Life and work

Grinegutten by artist Sofus Madsen - panoramio

Madsen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), but his family moved to Bergen when he was three years old. He studied under the sculptor Ingebrigt Vik and mostly worked as a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

artist at that time. Madsen received his artistic education at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and continued his education in Berlin and Paris before settling in Bergen in 1914. Together with

Anders Svor Anders Svor (December 14, 1864 – May 2, 1929) was a Norwegian sculptor. He was a realist influenced by Romanticism, and Auguste Rodin was also an important inspiration. His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition at ...

he participated in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

in Paris with two sculptures. He settled on Kanonhaugen Street in the Landås neighborhood of Bergen, in a house and studio that he designed himself. In 1999, the Sofus Madsen Museum opened in the house. It contains up to 180 sculptures, medals, drawings, and tapestries, some of which were made by his wife, Grethe Corneliussen Madsen. Madsen mostly created human figures in a classicist style with poses and expressions reflecting the attitudes and emotions in the themes he addressed. His most prominent work is ''Merkur'' (Mercury), which is located on the tower of the

Sundt department store Sundt is a Norwegian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Arthur Sundt (1899–1971), Norwegian politician *Egil Sundt (1903–1950), Norwegian lawyer and civil servant * Eilert Sundt (1817–1875), Norwegian theologist and sociologis ...

on the main square in Bergen, ''

Torgallmenningen Torgallmenningen, Torgalmenningen, or Torvallmenningen, is the main square of Bergen, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and ...

''. The tower and statue rise above the six-story building itself. Altogether there are 28 sculptures and reliefs by Sofus Madsen in Bergen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madsen, Sofus 20th-century Norwegian sculptors Culture in Bergen Artists from Oslo 1881 births 1977 deaths Olympic competitors in art competitions