Jens Jacob Nielsen Bregnø (9 February 1877 – 26 March 1946), often referred to as J. J. Bregnø, was a
Danish sculptor and ceramics designer. He collaborated with
Bing & Grøndahl
Bing & Grøndahl was a Danish porcelain manufacturer founded in 1853 by the sculptor Frederik Vilhelm Grøndahl and merchant brothers Meyer Hermann Bing and Jacob Herman Bing. The trademark backstamp for Bing & Grøndahl (B&G) porcelains is the t ...
, Saxbo and Dahl Jensen Porcelain and also designed silver for
Kay Bojesen. He received 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 ...
in 1919.
Early life and education
He was born in Hedensted, near
Horsens
Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...
, the son of shoemaker Mads Nielsen (1843–87) and Elise Laursen (1854-31). He changed his surname to Bregnø in 1913. He initially completed an apprenticeship as a
joiner
Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...
and
woodcarver
Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...
in
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
and then apprenticed as a
stobenason in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
from 1898. He worked as a decorative sculptor in stucco artist Hans Lamberg-Petersen's workshop in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
from 1902 to 1905 and then continued his studies in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
until 1908.
Career
From 1907 to 1911, Bregnø created a number of ceramic works that were burnt in
Patrick Nordström's workshop in
Islev
Islev is a suburb, located approximately west of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The suburb consists of single-family detached houses and a commercial area. The suburb is connected to Copenhagen by the S-train. Islev railway station is located ju ...
. He later created numerous statuettes for
Bing & Grøndahl
Bing & Grøndahl was a Danish porcelain manufacturer founded in 1853 by the sculptor Frederik Vilhelm Grøndahl and merchant brothers Meyer Hermann Bing and Jacob Herman Bing. The trademark backstamp for Bing & Grøndahl (B&G) porcelains is the t ...
in collaboration with the company's artistic director
Hans Tegner. He later also worked for Dahl-Jensen and
Nathalie Krebs' Saxbo.
Bregnø also created unica works in his own name that were burnt at different workshops, including Saxbo in Herlev and Hjorth in
Rønne
Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...
on
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...
. He also designed stoneware for
Saxbo and silver for
Kay Bojesen.
His studio was located at Haraldsgade 18 in the
Nørrebro
Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...
district of Copenhagen. He was a member of Kunstforeningen af 18. November.
A Hercules sculpture by Bregnø was installed in
Nørrebroparken in 1936. It has later been moved to a new site in
Fælledparken
The park Fælledparken in Copenhagen, Denmark, was created 1906–1914 by landscape architect Edvard Glæsel in cooperation with the Copenhagen Municipality on the commons (Danish: ''fælled'') previously named ''Nørrefælled'' and ''Østerfæ ...
. His statue ''
The Humane Nurse'', a monument to Danish nurses, was installed in front of
Bispebjerg Hospital in 1941.
Personal life
Bregnø joined the Danish Nazi Party on 28 August 1940. After the war he was blacklisted by former collaborators and received no commissions. He died on 26 March 1946 and is buried in
Vestre Cemetery
Vestre Cemetery (, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark.
The cemetery is landscaped and serves as an imp ...
in Copenhagen.
Selected works
* ''Danaide'' (1912)
* ''Samson'' (1912, Statens Museum for Kunst)
* ''Druepigefontæne'' (1929)
* ''Satyrdreng med en gås''
*''Susanne i Badet'' (fountain), bronze and Cementsten
* ''Læsende Pige'' ( "Poesien")
* '' Lyttende Pige'' ("Samvittigheden"), Cararamarmor
* ''Diana'' (
sundial
A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...
), Bronze and tax wood plinth
* ''Baccantinde'', stoneware
* ''Vinhøst''
* ''Hemmeligheden''
* ''Moder og Barn''
* ''Trillinger''
* ''Firlinger''
* ''Fad. Eva og Slangen''
* ''Fad. Eva med Æbler''
* ''Satyrhoved''
* ''Geden malkes''
* ''Anger''
* ''Menneskepar''
* ''Elskende Par'', stoneware
* ''Venus og Amor''
* '' Thor og Midgaardsormen''
* ''Pegasus''
* ''Lyksaligheden''
* '' Druepigen''
* ''Haarfletningen'', rec clay
* ''Herkules paa Skillevejen''
* '' Nilmoderen'', bronze
* ''Fuglebad'', stoneware
* ''Havhexen''
Public art
* ''Herkules, Dyden og Lasten'' (1936; Nørrebroparken, later moved to
Fælledparken
The park Fælledparken in Copenhagen, Denmark, was created 1906–1914 by landscape architect Edvard Glæsel in cooperation with the Copenhagen Municipality on the commons (Danish: ''fælled'') previously named ''Nørrefælled'' and ''Østerfæ ...
)
* ''
The Humane Nurse'' (1941,
Bispebjerg Hospital)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bregnø, Jens Jacob
1877 births
1946 deaths
20th-century Danish sculptors
Danish male sculptors
Danish designers
Danish stonemasons
People from Hedensted Municipality
Danish Nazis
20th-century Danish male artists