Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (14 July 1919 – 29 June 1982) was a Danish

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, designer and architect whose work belongs to the Concrete art movement.

Early life and education

Born in Ordrup to the north of Copenhagen, Aagaard Andersen attended the Arts and Crafts School (Kunsthåndværkersole) from 1936 to 1939. Between 1940 and 1946, he studied 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 ...

under Aksel Jørgensen and Gunnar Biilmann Petersen. He also spent a short period studying etching at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other fine arts, it is one of seve ...

. From 1946 to 1950, he studied in Paris under the sculptor Ossip Zadkine, after which he travelled to Italy (1951) and England (1952–53).

Career

Aagaard Andersen first exhibited at the Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling (Artists Autumn Exhibition) in 1937. Initially he created mainly drawings and sketches but he also painted. In the 1940s, he illustrated a number of books in a Realist style but while he was in Paris, he was inspired to paint Concrete art works. He was one of the founders of the Linien II artists association (1948–52), ensuring a working relationship between new trends in French art and developments in Denmark. In France, he joined the newly formed concrete art association Groupe Espace which brought together architects, sculptors, engineers and painters who collaborated on creating works in the open air. Aagaard Andersen was one of 45 participants in the large outdoor exhibition they presented in Biot, Alpes-Maritimes in 1954. In the 1950s, he created architectural designs integrated with decorative works for the textile firm Mads Eg Damgaard 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)

, giving him an opportunity to demonstrate his understanding of integrated art. During the same period, he produced carpets and textiles in collaboration with Unika Vaev. He was also active as a designer, producing a polyester chair in 1964 which is now exhibited in New York's Museum of Modern Art, MoMA. His most comprehensive achievement in decoration was for the Odense Concert Hall in 1983. From 1972 to 1982, Aagaard Andersen was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He died in Munkerup on 29 June 1982. Aagaar Andersen has exhibited widely both in Denmark and abroad. There was a large exhibition of his work in 2013 at Den Frie Udstilling in Copenhagen.

Awards

In 1977, Aagaard Andersen was awarded 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, in 1980, the Thorvaldsen Medal.

Exhibitions

* ''Aagaard Andersen i brug'', Den Frie Udstilling, Copenhagen (17 August –16 October 2013)

References

External links

Illustrated commentry on Aagaard Andersen's work from Jens Tang Kristensen at Kunstkritikk

Work by Gunnar Aagaard Andersen
in the collection of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...