Ingvar Cronhammar (17 December 1947 – 20 May 2021) was a Swedish-Danish sculptor, who lived in Denmark from 1965 until his death. He gained a unique place in Danish art with his dark monumental works, often presenting an eerie confrontation between modern technology and the primitive past.

Biography

Born in Hässleholm in the south of Sweden, he moved to Denmark in 1965 where he studied at the Jutland Art Academy in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

from 1967 to 1971. Until the early 1980s, inspired by environmental art from the U.S., his spectacular works revealed his fascination with conflict and provocation and his contempt for convention. An early example was ''Koncert for en hjemmeværnsmand'' (Concert for the Home Guard, 1969) featuring live chickens with lamps strapped to their backs. In 1979, he presented chairs draped with pigskin and a parasol with swastikas. Over the years, his works became increasingly larger, often with a sacred look, simultaneously inducing fascination and disgust. ''The Gate'' (1988) presents an infernal machine of steel, sound, light, and movement, representing a confrontation with death. The direct confrontation of work and nature is also apparent in his gigantic '' Elia'' (1989–2001) in

Herning Herning () is a 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 50,565 (1 January 2022)Herning Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits a large collection of his works. He died on May 20, 2021, at the age of 73 from blood clots in his heart.

Awards

In 1993, Cronhammar was awarded the Eckersberg Medal and, in 2003, the Thorvaldsen Medal. He was decorated a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

in 2007.

References

Literature

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External links

Ingvar Cronhammar's websiteComprehensive list of Cronhammar's works from KunstOnlineIllustrated portrait of Ingvar Cronhammar from KunstOnline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cronhammar, Ingvar 1947 births 2021 deaths Swedish male sculptors People from Hässleholm Municipality Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Naturalised citizens of Denmark Swedish contemporary artists 21st-century Swedish male artists