Gottfred Eickhoff (11 April 1902 in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

– 26 July 1982) was a Danish sculptor. Inspired by French trends, his work contrasted with that of his predecessors, exhibiting a spirit of harmony, peace and balance.

Early life

After matriculating from high school in 1920, Eickhoff embarked on law studies but changed paths in 1926 when he became a pupil of

Harald Giersing Harald Giersing (24 April 1881 – 15 January 1927) was a Danish painter. He was instrumental in developing the classic modernism movement in Denmark around 1910-1920. He is remembered as one of Denmark's most important 20th-century artists both f ...

. Realizing he would now concentrate on sculpture, he continued his studies in Paris from 1927 to 1933 under Charles Despiau, associating with a wide range of sculptors including Jean Osouf and

Paul Cornet Paul Cornet (18 March 1892 – 10 April 1977) was a French sculptor, painter, and teacher. He was known for his statues, nudes sculptures, busts, and monuments. He taught at the Académie Scandinave in Paris for many years. Early life, and edu ...

from France, Charles Leplae from Belgium, Han Wezelaar from the Netherlands,

Bror Hjorth Bror Hjorth (1894 in Marma, Sweden, Marma, Sweden – May 21, 1968 in Uppsala, Sweden) was a Sweden, Swedish artist. Hjorth was one of Sweden’s best-known sculpture, sculptors and Painting, painters, and was professor of art at the Royal Univ ...

from Sweden and

Adam Fischer Adam Fischer may refer to: * Adam Fischer (sculptor) (1888–1968), Danish sculptor * Ádám Fischer (born 1949), Hungarian conductor See also * Ádám Somlai-Fischer Ádám (Szabolcs) Somlai-Fischer, born 1976 in Budapest, is an architect a ...

and Astrid Noack from Denmark."Gottfred Eickhoff"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 28 May 2012.

Career

In 1933, he exhibited with the

Grønningen Grønningen is a Danish artists cooperative whose members arrange exhibitions and similar events. Founded in 1915, it is one of the oldest and most important groupings of its kind in Denmark and currently has 54 members. It is named after the str ...

artists, becoming a member of the association in 1935. His works immediately attracted considerable interest: his busts ''Kvindehoved. Merete Bodelsen'' (limestone, 1931) and ''Gerda'' (clay, 1932) were acquired by Statens Museum for Kunst and the

Carlsberg Foundation Carlsberg Foundation () is a not-for-profit organization that was founded by J. C. Jacobsen in 1876, by allocating some of his shares in the Carlsberg Brewery to fund and operate the Carlsberg Laboratory and the Museum of National History at ...

. He received a stipendium from the foundation allowing him to make an extended tour of Italy, Greece, Egypt and Turkey in 1936. His works from this period follow the French trends of

Aristide Maillol Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaking, printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford ...

and Charles Despiau, contrasting with Danish designs. Works from this period include ''Marseillepiger'' (limestone, 1935), ''Corfupige'' (bronze, 1939) and ''Roepiger'' (bronze, 1939) which now stands on the market place in

Sakskøbing Sakskøbing (), previously spelled Sakskjøbing, is a town on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It has a population of 4,514 (1 January 2025).Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("ny" means "new" in Danish; "Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root ''glyphein'', to carve, and ''theke'', storing place), commonly known simply as Glyptoteket, is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection ...

in Copenhagen. After the war, he travelled to Italy, Spain and Morocco before becoming a professor at the

Danish Academy Danish Academy is an independent organisation founded in 1960 by a circle of Danish intellectuals "to promote Danish esprit and language, especially within the field of literature". It has up to 20 members, currently 18, and is based at Rungstedl ...

in 1954. He frequently sketched during his travels, producing such prized works as a drawing of a cow deprived of its calf in San Cataldo (1952) and of a shop in Zauen, Morocco (1953). His drawings demonstrate his skills at light and shade, reminiscent of

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

and

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

. Later in life, he used his drawings as a basis for sculpted works.

Style

His sculptures are modelled with harmony, peace and balance, based on nature as a precondition. They contrast with those of previous generations, differing from the exuberance of Kai Nielsen and the ornamentation of Johannes Bjerg and

Einar Utzon-Frank Aksel (Axel) Einar (Ejnar) Utzon-Frank (30 March 1888 – 15 July 1955) was a Danish sculptor and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. During his lifetime, he produced many sculptures, some of which stand as public monuments. U ...

. Many of his works have been carefully reproduced in various sizes.Dorthe Falcon Møller, "Gottfred Eickhoff"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 28 May 2012.

Selected works

;Public art * ''Mother With Cjild''m

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,880 (1 January 2024) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of Maderne, Storeholm, and Lilleholm are ...

, Denmark (1972) * ''Rycho Brahe'',

Børre Allé Børre is a Norwegian given name, and may refer to: *Børre Dalhaug (born 1974), Norwegian musician and arranger * Børre Falkum-Hansen (1919–2006), Norwegian sailor and Olympic medalist * Egil Børre Johnsen (born 1936), Norwegian writer * Bør ...

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 ...

, Denmark

Awards

Eickhoff 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 1944 and the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish language, Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within th ...

in 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eickhoff, Gottfred 1902 births 1982 deaths Artists from Frederiksberg Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal 20th-century Danish sculptors Danish male sculptors 20th-century Danish male artists