Thomas Vilhelm Bærentzen (1869-1936) was a
Danish sculptor. He created the large relief above the main entrance of
Odense Theatre in
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...
, as well as reliefs on a number of churches. He was for a while married to the writer Emma Bærentzen in the 1910s.
Early life and education
Bærentzen was born 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 ...
, the son of a captain and later naval commander and city councillor, Alexander Christian Riber Bærentzen (1830-1920) and Anna Rosa Elise Magnussen (1841-1920).
He studied drawing privately in Frederik Hammeleff's studio. He enrolled 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 ...
in 1887 but left in 1889, and was instead educated privately in
Stephan Sinding's studio until 1891. Bærentzen visited Paris together with his teacher and fellow students in 1890. He later made study trips to Greece, Spain, Turkey, North Africa and Italy, where he lived from 1821 to 1925.
Career
Bærentzen was, for the first time, represented at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1889. He was later also represented at exhibitions in Rome, Malmö and Paris. He was a secretary for Selskabet for dekorativ kunst og udstilling af Skønvirke from 1905 to 1910 and president of the Scandinavian Society in Rome for about a year.
He created the large relief above the main entrance to Odense Theatre and has also created reliefs for a number of churches in Copenhagen and Odense. He also created a large number of statuettes and portrait busts.
He received awards from the Art Academy in 1902 and 1903 and Det Ancherske Legat in 1911.
Personal life
Bærentzen married twice. His first wife was the writer
Emma Bærentzen. They married on 19 March 1913 in the
Church of the Holy Ghost in Copenhagen but divorced in 1917. He then married Johanne Bay (1878-1973) in 1924.
Bærentzen died on 23 April 1936. He is buried in Herfølge Cemetery but his grave has been removed.
Selected works
*
Zion's Church, Copenhagen
*
Christ Church, Copenhagen
* Nazareth Church, Copenhagen
*
St. Luke's Church, Copenhagen
*
St. Andrew's Church, Copenhagen
* Ansgar's Church, Odense (1901–02).
Image gallery
Image:Nazaret Kirke Copenhagen frieze2.jpg, Relief on St. Andrew's Church
Image:Nordenskirker Kristkirken(06).jpg, Relief on Christ Church, Copenhagen
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baerentzen, Thomas
1869 births
1936 deaths
Danish sculptors
19th-century Danish male artists
Danish male sculptors