Erik Hagens (born 21 April 1940) is a Danish painter and illustrator. He is best known for his 40-metre-long mural Esbjerg-evangeliet. [1]
Born in Copenhagen, Hagens is the son of the civil engineer Poul Gunnar Hagens and Elsa Margareta Silwer, a weaver. He studied painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1961 to 1966 and was trained as a lithographer at the experimental art school, Eks-skolen. In the 1960s, he became an active participant in the cross-border experiments in art and life. [2]
From the 1970s, his works have been inspired by the development of the consumer society with the effects of industrialization, pollution, road traffic and entertainment centres as, for example, in his 1977 painting Københavns Vinterbane (Copenhagen's Winter Track) based on an annual cycling event in Copenhagen. However, there is less emphasis on the cycling than on the people attending the event who are all intent on making a quick fortune. [3]
Among Hagens' most significant works are the enamels he created together with his wife Ursula Munch-Petersen for Espergærde Bibliotek in 1990 and the 40-metre long mural Esbjerg-evangeliet (2003–05) he made for the CVU-Vest social school in Esbjerg. It depicts modern scenes based on some of the better known Bible stories, mostly with a humorous touch. [4] [2]
In 1997, Hagens received the Eckersberg Medal [5] and in 2008, the Thorvaldsen Medal. [2]
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Danish Painting, and is referred to as the "Father of Danish painting".
Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand, painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith. Marstrand is one of the most renowned artists belonging to the Golden Age of Danish Painting.
Viggo Thorvald Edvard Weie was a Danish Modernist painter. He was a recipient of Eckersberg Medal in 1925. He died during 1943 in Frederiksberg.
Frederik Theodor Kloss was a German-Danish painter who specialized in marine painting.
Adam Fischer was a Danish sculptor, an early contributor of works inspired by Cubism.
Eva Isabel Koch is a Danish sculptor who has gained fame with her video installations. In 2011, she was awarded the Thorvaldsen Medal.
Vilhelm Jacob Rosenstand was a Danish painter and illustrator. His best known work is a mural decorating the banqueting hall in the University of Copenhagen.
Ludvig Brandstrup was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered above all for his equestrian statue of Christian IX in Esbjerg but was also one of the most competent portraitists of his day.
Ebba Ninna Back Carstensen was a Danish painter. Her painting developed from a rather Impressionist style towards Cubism.
Henrik Starcke was a Danish sculptor who created fanciful creatures based on his interest in ancient art.
Erik Thommesen was a Danish sculptor who worked mainly with wood, creating Expressionist representations of the human figure inspired by African sculpture.
Elsa Agnete Yvonne Nielsen née Bendixsen was a Danish graphic artist. The grand-daughter of the painter Laurits Tuxen, in 1946 she married the graphic artist Palle Nielsen.
Carl Christian Frederik Jacob Thomsen was a Danish painter and illustrator. He specialized in genre painting and also illustrated the works of several Danish authors.
Christian Lemmerz is a German-Danish sculptor and visual artist, who attended the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara, Italy from 1978–82 and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1983-88. Despite the classic sculptor training in Carrara, Lemmerz drew his main inspiration from the post-war process-oriented Pop Art; not least from his fellow countryman, Joseph Beuys.
Kirsten Møller Ortwed is a Danish artist, now based in Cologne, Germany. She is noted for her striking sculptures in public spaces and her sometimes surprising combinations of traditional and unconventional materials.
Frede Christoffersen was a Danish painter and illustrator.
Jørgen Boberg was a self-taught Surrealist Danish painter and illustrator.
Egill Jacobsen was a Danish painter who became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy.
Michael Otto Albert Kvium is a Danish artist. He has excelled in a number of fields such as painting, illustrating, sculpting and various performance genres. Since the early 1980s, he has created grotesque realistic works, depicting the darker side of life.
Valdemar Heinrich Nicolaus Irminger was a Danish painter.