Kristofer Leirdal (15 December 1915– 6 July 2010) 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 ...

sculptor and art educator. He was especially noted for his sculptural contributions to the restoration of the Nidaros Cathedral.

Biography

Leirdal was born in Aure in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He was the son of Sakarias Skogan (1880-1951) and Karen Leirdal (1883-1966). He received his education at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO). ...

from 1936 to 1938 and at the

Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts The Norwegian National Academy of Arts ( no, Statens kunstakademi) is a Norwegian Academy offering studies in the area of Fine Art. The Academy currently offers 3-year bachelor and 2-year MA programmes. The "Norwegian National Academy of the Arts" ...

under Professor

Wilhelm Rasmussen Wilhelm Rasmussen (15 June 1879 – 6 December 1965) was a Norwegian sculptor. Wilhelm Robert Rasmussen was born in Skien in Telemark county, Norway. He studied under Norwegian sculptors Brynjulf Bergslien and Lars Utne (1862–1922), and late ...

between 1938 and 1940. He also was trained 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 ...

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 ...

under Professor

Einar Utzon-Frank Aksel (Axel) Einar (Ejnar) Utzon-Frank (30 March 1888 – 15 July 1955) was a Danish sculptor and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. During his lifetime, he produced many sculptures, some of which stand as public monuments. ...

from 1945-1946. Leirdal worked as a sculptor at Nidaros Cathedral in

Trondheim 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 ...

from 1941. He was a classically trained sculptor who was also adapted at the physical and stylistic frameworks of architecture. In 1990 Leirdal completed his last work at the cathedral. Leirdal participated the founding of Trondheim Academy of Fine Art and was an instructor in the sculpture class from 1946-5. He was also a teacher at the Department of Design and Color at the Architectural Department of the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1952-82. Leirdal was active in the development of Trondheim Art Association. He was awarded the Benneches legat (1940), Statens stipend (1942) and Mohrs legat (1947). He received the Minnemedaljen in silver from the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters ( da, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, DKNVS) is a Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The ...

(1965) and the Domkirkemedaljen in gold (198). In 1997 he was made Knight, First Class, of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

. He died at

in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leirdal, Kristofer 1915 births 2010 deaths People from Aure, Norway Norwegian sculptors Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Academic staff of the Norwegian Institute of Technology Academic staff of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal