Gottfred Eickhoff (11 April 1902 in

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

– 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. Realizing he would now concentrate on sculpture, he continued his studies in Paris from 1927 to 1933 under

Charles Despiau Charles Despiau (November 4, 1874 – October 28, 1946) was a French sculptor. Early life Charles-Albert Despiau was born at Mont-de-Marsan, Landes and attended first the École des Arts Décoratifs and later the École nationale supérieure d ...

, associating with a wide range of sculptors including

Jean Osouf Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

and

Paul Cornet Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

from France,

Charles Leplae Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

from Belgium, Han Wezelaar from the Netherlands,

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

from Sweden and Adam Fischer and

Astrid Noack Astrid Noack (30 January 1888 – 26 December 1954) was a Danish sculptor who specialized in the human figure, creating works such as the statue of Anna Ancher in Skagen, and her '' Standing Woman'' which was included in the Danish Culture Cano ...

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

Career

In 1933, he exhibited with the Grønningen 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 The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...

and the

Carlsberg Foundation Carlsberg Foundation ( da, Carlsbergfondet) 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 Frederiksborg Palac ...

. 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 printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford University P ...

and

, 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 with a population of 4,595 (1 January 2022).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 Rungsted ...

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 174616 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, and e ...

and

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally co ...

. 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 Kai Nielsen is the name of: * Kai Nielsen (footballer) * Kaj Nielsen (footballer) * Kai Nielsen (sculptor) (1882–1924), Danish sculptor * Kai Nielsen (philosopher) (1926–2021), American, Canada-based professor of philosophy * Sixten Kai Niel ...

and the ornamentation of Johannes Bjerg and Einar Utzon-Frank. 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 3,857 (1 January 2022) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of '' Maderne'', ''Storeholm'', and ''Lilleholm'' are part ...

, Denmark (1972) * ''Rycho Brahe'', Børre Allé, Copenhagen, Denmark

Awards

Eickhoff received the Eckersberg Medal in 1944 and the Thorvaldsen Medal">Eckersberg Medal">Copenhagen, Denmark

Awards

Eickhoff received the Eckersberg Medal in 1944 and the Thorvaldsen Medal in 1976.

References

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