Ib Valentin Braase (7 August 1923 – 18 March 2009) was a Danish sculptor. From 1968, he lived and worked in

Marcoussis Marcoussis () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Marcoussis is the location of the CNR (National Centre of Rugby) where the France national rugby u ...

near Paris.

Early life, family and education

Born in Stege on the island of

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...

, Braase was the son of the stonemason Christian Braase who introduced him to the art of stonework. As a 14-year-old, he crafted his first busts of family members. 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 ...

from 1949 to 1954 under

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 ...

and

Aksel Jørgensen Aksel Jørgensen (3 February 1883 – 9 June 1957) was a Denmark, Danish painter and Wood engraving, wood engraver. He is also remembered for his years as the director and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Royal Danish Academy wh ...

, becoming the assistant of

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 Canon ...

with whom he created small stone figures.

Career

After initially working with stone, in the 1950s Braase turned to bronze, embarking on a new, experimental phase which soon led him to abandon the traditional approach of the Academy. One of his acclaimed works from this period is ''Barneværelset'' (1969) which juxtaposes iron profiles and belongs to his bronze creations in an open structure. In 1968, he moved to

near Paris where he developed an independent approach with unconventional materials such as bronze, iron, wood, zinc and paint in works resembling unfinished furniture or makeshift scaffolding. Braase exhibited widely from 1949, first as a member of the Den Polychrome association, then in

Den Frie Udstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest asso ...

and

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 ...

. His work has also been presented in numerous solo exhibitions in Denmark and France.

Awards

In 1968, Braase 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 1985, 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 ...

References

External links

List of Braase's works in Danish museums
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braase, Ib 1923 births 2009 deaths People from Møn Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 20th-century Danish sculptors 20th-century Danish male artists Danish expatriates in France