Svend Wiig Hansen (20 December 1922 – 15 March 1997) was a Danish sculptor and painter.

Biography

Wiig Hansen was born in Møgeltønder. He was initially undecided about his career, working as a circus clown and a singer until a job requiring his help in the completion of climbing angels convinced him he should become a sculptor. After studying at the Danish Academy under Johannes Bjerg and Einar Utzon-Frank (1946–1950), his early sculptures included his monumental burnt clay ''Torso'' (1951) inspired by Aristide Maillol and his cement ''Moder Jord'' (Mother Earth, 1953) influenced in part by precolumbian sculpture. The gigantic group sculpture of ''Mennesket ved havet'' ( Men at Sea, (1994) near

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban area, urban population of 71,554 (1 January ...

is inspired by Cycladic art and the figures on

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

. ''Slægt løfter slægt'' (1997), which was installed for a period on Gammel Strand in Copenhagen, depicts a naked couple bearing a naked woman."Svend Wiig Hansen"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 2 June 2012. His recognition as a painter began in 1955 with ''De søgende''. His expression is characterized by stark colouring in his depiction of the human body, often set in a desolate landscape. Among his most important works are ''Menneskeridt'' (1959), the series ''Mennesker i forvandling'' (People in Transformation, 1963) and ''Jorden græder'' (The Earth Weeps, 1981). His work as a decorator can be seen in Kastrup Church (1978), the central hospital in

Herning Herning () is a Denmark, Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 51,782 (1 January 2025)

and in Copenhagen's Royal Theatre with his aluminium ''Himmelrejsen'' (Heavenly Journey, 1989).Bent Irve, "Svend Wiig Hansen"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 3 June 2012. He died in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

, aged 74.

Awards

Wiig Hansen received the Swedish Prince Eugen Medal in 1976 and was awarded both 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 ...

and the Thorvaldsen Medal but chose not to receive them.

References

Bibliography

*Wiig Hansen, Svend: ''Wiig Hansen: skulptur, maleri, tegninger'', 1985, Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg glyptotek. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiig Hansen, Svend Danish sculptors 20th-century Danish painters 1922 births 1997 deaths People from Tønder Municipality Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the Prince Eugen Medal 20th-century Danish sculptors Danish male sculptors 20th-century Danish male artists Danish male painters