Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (14 July 1919 – 29 June 1982) was a 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 ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, designer and architect whose work belongs to the

Concrete art Concrete art was an art movement with a strong emphasis on geometrical abstraction. The term was first formulated by Theo van Doesburg and was then used by him in 1930 to define the difference between his vision of art and that of other abstract art ...

movement.

Early life and education

Born in

Ordrup Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre. History Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...

to the north of Copenhagen, Aagaard Andersen attended the Arts and Crafts School (Kunsthåndværkersole) from 1936 to 1939. Between 1940 and 1946, he studied 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 Dan ...

under

Aksel Jørgensen Aksel Jørgensen (3 February 1883 – 9 June 1957) was a Denmark, Danish painter and Wood engraving, wood engraver. He is also remembered for his years as the director and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Royal Danish Academy whe ...

and Gunnar Biilmann Petersen. He also spent a short period studying etching at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, archite ...

. From 1946 to 1950, he studied in Paris under the sculptor

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Zadkine (russian: Осип Цадкин; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Belarusian-born French artist. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born on ...

, after which he travelled to Italy (1951) and England (1952–53).

Career

Aagaard Andersen first exhibited at the

Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest asso ...

(Artists Autumn Exhibition) in 1937. Initially he created mainly drawings and sketches but he also painted. In the 1940s, he illustrated a number of books in a Realist style but while he was in Paris, he was inspired to paint

works. He was one of the founders of the Linien II artists association (1948–52), ensuring a working relationship between new trends in French art and developments in Denmark. In France, he joined the newly formed concrete art association Groupe Espace which brought together architects, sculptors, engineers and painters who collaborated on creating works in the open air. Aagaard Andersen was one of 45 participants in the large outdoor exhibition they presented in

Biot, Alpes-Maritimes Biot (; oc, Biòt) is a small fortified medieval hilltop village in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur near Antibes, between Nice and Cannes. Many people come to Biot for its renowned cubist art museum of Fernand Leger as well as the winding c ...

in 1954. In the 1950s, he created architectural designs integrated with decorative works for the textile firm Mads Eg Damgaard in

Herning Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)Unika Vaev. He was also active as a designer, producing a polyester chair in 1964 which is now exhibited in New York's Museum of Modern Art, MoMA. His most comprehensive achievement in decoration was for the Odense Concert Hall in 1983. From 1972 to 1982, Aagaard Andersen was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He died in

Munkerup Munkerup is a coastal district of Hornbæk-Dronningmølle in the north of Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Gribskov Municipality, two kilometres to the west of Dronningmølle and four kilometres east of Gilleleje. In 2009, Munkerup had a populati ...

on 29 June 1982. Aagaar Andersen has exhibited widely both in Denmark and abroad. There was a large exhibition of his work in 2013 at

Den Frie Udstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest ass ...

in Copenhagen.

Awards

In 1977, Aagaard Andersen was awarded the

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 ...

and, in 1980, the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal ( Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within the visual arts. I ...

Exhibitions

* ''Aagaard Andersen i brug'',

, Copenhagen (17 August –16 October 2013)

References

External links

Illustrated commentry on Aagaard Andersen's work from Jens Tang Kristensen at Kunstkritikk

Work by Gunnar Aagaard Andersen
in the collection of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...