Stephan Abel Sinding (4 August 1846 – 23 January 1922) 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 ...

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

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 ...

. He moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1883 and had his breakthrough the same year. In 1890 he obtained Danish citizenship. In 1910 he settled 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 he lived and worked until his death in 1922.

Early life and education

Stephan Abel Sinding was born in

Trondhjem Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

as a son of mining engineer

Matthias Wilhelm Sinding Matthias Wilhelm Sinding (18 July 1811 – 11 February 1860) was a Norwegian mining engineer and factory founder. He was born in Fredrikstad as a son of Ulrik Rosing Sinding and Mette Marie Bang. He was a distant relative of Hans Rosing (1625–1 ...

(1811–1860) and Cecilie Marie Mejdell (1817–1886). Sinding was the brother of the composer

Christian Sinding Christian August Sinding (11 January 18563 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known for his lyrical work for piano '' Frühlingsrauschen'' (Rustle of Spring, 1896). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his succ ...

and painter Otto Ludvig Sinding and the nephew of Nicolai Mejdell (1822–1899) and

Thorvald Mejdell Thorvald Mejdell (21 September 1824 – 28 October 1908) was a Norwegian forester. He was born in Ringsaker as a son of colonel Gløer Gløersen Mejdell (1782–1827) and Thorine Krog. He was a nephew of officer Jacob Gerhard Meydell and brother o ...

(1824–1908), and through the former a first cousin of Glør Thorvald Mejdell, who married Stephan's sister Thora Cathrine Sinding. Stephan Sinding was also a first cousin of Alfred Sinding-Larsen and the three siblings

Ernst Anton Henrik Sinding Ernst Anton Henrik Sinding (8 December 1839 – 11 January 1924) was a Norwegian school director. Personal life He was born in Larvik as a son of vicar Otto Ludvig Sinding (1809–1890) and Dorothea Magdalene Lammers. He was a brother of Elisabet ...

, Elisabeth Sinding (1846–1930) and

Gustav Adolf Sinding Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

(1849–1925). Sinding first embarked on law studies in Christiania but broke off to instead pursue a career in the arts. He took drawing and modeling classes first at the Royal School of Drawing in Christiania and then studied privately with sculptor Albert Wolff in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Sinding spent his adult life working in different places mostly

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and finally

. From 1874 to 1875 he studied in

and picked up influences from the latest Realist tendencies in French sculptures, especially from

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

and

Paul Dubois Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

. Sinding was met with poor recognition from the Norwegian public since his style was considered too modern.

Career in Denmark

In 1883 he moved to

, which he found a better working place, and had his breakthrough with the sculpture ''A barbarian woman carries her dead son home from the battle'', created during a stay in

that same year. It was acquired by the brewer

Carl Jacobsen Carl Christian Hillman Jacobsen (2 March 1842 – 11 January 1914) was a Danish brewer, art collector and philanthropist. Though often preoccupied with his cultural interests, Jacobsen was a shrewd and visionary businessman and initiated the tra ...

, the son and heir of

Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...

-founder

Jacob Christian Jacobsen Jacob Christian Jacobsen (2 September 1811 – 30 April 1887), mostly known as J. C. Jacobsen, was a Danish industrialist and philanthropist best known for founding the brewery Carlsberg. Biography He had no formal academic or scientific traini ...

, who was a great admirer of both classical and modern sculpture and was building an ever-growing private collection which in the end turned into the

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("ny" means "new" in Danish; "Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root ''glyphein'', to carve, and ''theke'', storing place), commonly known simply as Glyptoteket, is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection ...

Sinding created a number of sculptures, among others ''Mother in Captivity'', which won him the Grand Prix at the

Exposition Universelle (1889) The Exposition Universelle of 1889 () was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 5 May to 31 October 1889. It was the fourth of eight expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. It attracted more than thirty-two million visitors. The ...

, ''Two figures'' (1889), and ''Young woman at her husband's body'' / ''The Widow'' (1892). Many of Sinding's sculptures are credited to realism, but together with Danish sculptor

Niels Hansen Jacobsen Niels Hansen Jacobsen (September 10, 1861 – November 26, 1941) was a Danish sculptor and ceramist. He is most famous for creating the once controversial sculpture, '' Trold, der vejrer kristenblod''. The name of the statue is taken from a ...

, among others, are by many considered much more in the style of

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

. An example of his symbolic work is his sculpture ''Valkyrjen'' (the valkyrie), a bronze cast of which stands in Churchill Park in Copenhagen. Sinding became a titular professor and taught private students in Copenhagen.

Late years in Paris

In 1910 Sinding moved to Paris, where he worked until his death. Assisted by Franz von Jessen, Sinding wrote an autobiography entitled ''En Billedhuggers Liv'' (1921). He died in January 1922 in Paris, and was buried at the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

Private life

In May 1885 in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

he married actress Anna Elga Augusta Betzonich (1859–1936).

Selected works

*''Vølund smed'', 1873 *''Hylas'', ca. 1880 *''Slaven'', 1878, *''Frise'', 1891 *''Enken'', 1892 *''Henrik Ibsen'', 1899 *''Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson'', 1899 *''Moder Jord'', 1900 *''Ole Bull'', 1901 *''Valkyrjen'', 1908 *''Angelus'', 1913 *''L'Offrande'', 1918 Image:Stephan Sinding - Electra.jpg, Stephan Sinding's ''Electra'' statue at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen Image:Valkyrie, Copenhagen.jpg, ''Valkyrjen'' (1908), Churchill Park,

Image:Stephan Sinding-Verwitwet.jpg, ''Suddenly a Widow'' (ca. 1910)

Image:Stephan Sinding- Adoration I.jpg, ''Adoration I'' (ca. 1910)

Image:Stephan Sinding-Barbarenmutter.jpg, ''Barbarenmutter'' (ca. 1910) Image:Ole Bull (statue).jpg, ''Statue of Ole Bull'' (1901)
Bergen, Norway Image:Statue Bjørnson Nationaltheatret.jpg, ''Statue of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson'' (1899)
National Theatre, Oslo Image:Ibsen sculpture Nationaltheatret.jpg, ''Statue of Henrik Ibsen'' (1899)
National Theatre, Oslo Image:Stephan Sinding - Un homme et une femme.jpg, Un homme et une femme Image:Stephan Sinding-Captive mother-Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.jpg, Captive mother

References

Other sources

* Grappe, Georges ''Stephan Sinding'' (Paris: Librairie Artistique Internationale. 1920) *Rapsilber, M. ''Stephen Sinding'' (Marquardt & Co. 1910)

External links

PortraitKatalog
(In German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinding, Stephan Danish sculptors Danish male artists Norwegian sculptors Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Artists from Copenhagen 19th-century sculptors 20th-century sculptors 19th-century Danish people 20th-century Danish people Norwegian emigrants to Denmark Naturalised citizens of Denmark Danish expatriates in France 1846 births 1922 deaths Male sculptors