Kristen "Kræsten" Iversen (, 26 January 1886 - 9 August 1955) was a Danish artist who is remembered both for his paintings and his painted glass windows. He was a member of the Bornholm school of painters and a professor at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () 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 Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

Biography

Iversen was born in the parish of Holsted in

Vejen Municipality Vejen Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in the Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 817 km2, and has a total population of 42,702 (2025). Its mayor is Frank Schmidt-Hansen, r ...

, Denmark. He was the son of Niels Laurids Pedersen (1848–1902) and Grethe Hansen (1851–1910). Between 1904 and 1905, He trained at the Copenhagen Technical College. He exhibited several time during 1910–1918 at the Artists' Autumn Exhibition. In 1919, he exhibited four works at the

Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition The Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition (''Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling'') is an annual art exhibition in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. The event is held at the Charlottenborg Exhibition Building (''Kunsthal Charlottenborg''). Kunsthal Cha ...

. In 1920, he visited

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 ...

for the first time where the natural colours and distinctive light influenced his landscapes . Between 1927 and 1931, he performed the large painted ceiling decoration in the royal hall at

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also ...

. His first work with glass was for stained glass windows at Risskov Church. Iversen also designed th
window in the North Chapel at Fårevejle Church
He went on to decorate the windows of the Danish church in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. He decorated a number of other buildings including Christiansborg, the city hall 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 the windows of Sankt Nicolai Church in Svendborg. Iversen was exceptionally diversified in his art work which covered oils, frescos, watercolours, mosaics and glass painting. He 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 ...

in 1923. He became a knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

in 1932. He was professor at the

from 1930 until his death and served director of the Academy 1949–1952. He died during 1955 in Copenhagen. Kristen "Kræsten" Iversen from Gravsted.dk (in Danish).
Retrieved 13 December 2008.

References

External links

Windows of Sankt Nikolai church in Kolding with Iversen's windows.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iversen, Kraesten 1886 births 1955 deaths People from Vejen Municipality 20th-century Danish painters Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Directors of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Burials at the Garrison Cemetery, Copenhagen