Ivar Bentsen (13 November 1876 – 21 May 1943) was a Danish

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and educator. He was a central figure in the Bedre-Byggeskik movement and succeeded Carl Petersen as a professor 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 ...

's School of Architecture in 1923. He was awarded the C. F. Hansen Medal in 1943.

Early life and education

Bentsen was born in Vallekilde,

Odsherred Odsherred is a peninsula in the north-western part of the island Zealand (Sjælland) in Denmark. Odsherred stretches from the Sjællands Odde in the north-west to the now drained Lammefjord in the south, covering an area with a wide range of the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

to Andreas Bentsen (1839–1914) and Emilie S. F. Lavigne (1851–88). His father established a school for master builders at

Vallekilde Folk High School Vallekilde Folk High School () is a Danish institution of adult education in the folk high school tradition. The school is located in the village of Vallekilde in Odsherred municipality on the island of Zealand. History The school was founded in ...

. Bentsen completed a carpenter's apprenticeship in 1896 and matriculated from Copenhagen Technical School in 1899. He attended the

from 1900 to 1902 but received most of his training as an architect, draughtsman, and pupil at

Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint (21 June 1853 – 1 December 1930) was a Danish architect, designer, painter and architectural theorist, best known for designing Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen, generally considered to be one of the most import ...

's practice. He later gained experience as a draughtsman and executing architect with the architects

Carl Brummer Carl Harald Brummer (12 July 1864 – 14 February 1953) was a Danish architect who was influential in the design of homes at the beginning of the 20th century. Early life and education Brummer was born in Bogense as the son of Hans Frederik Brum ...

and

Ulrik Plesner Ulrik Adolph Plesner, usually known as Ulrik Plesner (17 May 1861 in Vedersø – 22 November 1933 in Skagen) was an innovative Danish architect who designed in a National Romantic style at the beginning of the 20th century. He is remembered in p ...

. Bentsen was part of a circle of young architects and artists including Vilhelm Wanscher, Carl Petersen, Hans Koch,

Povl Baumann Povl Erik Raimund Baumann (9 November 1878 – 3 July 1963) was a Denmark, Danish architect who was a central figure during the transition from Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassicism to Functionalism (architecture), Functionalism in Danish resi ...

Thorkild Henningsen Thorkild Henningsen (7 February 1884 – 27 January 1931) was a Denmark, Danish architect. He is best known for his design of numerous terraced housing developments, especially Bakkehusene at Bellahøj whish is listed on the Listed buildings in Co ...

and

Kaare Klint Kaare Klint (15 December 1888 – 28 March 1954) was a Danish architect and furniture designer, known as the father of modern Danish furniture design. His style was epitomized by clean, pure lines, use of the best materials of his time and ...

. He was a member of Den Fri Arkitektforening from its foundation in 1909, merged as Akademisk Arkitektforening in 2019.

Career

Vallekilde and Holbæk

Bentsen became the principal of his father's craft school in Vallekilde in 1908–1911. He then founded his own school in

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Kai Nielsen on the redesign of Nlågårds Plads in Copenhagen. In 1919, he created a proposal for a new opera house and concert hall at the old site of

Copenhagen Central Station Copenhagen Central Station (, ; abbreviated ''København H'', colloquially usually referred to as ''Hovedbanegården'' or simply ''Hovedbanen'') is the Central station, main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station ...

Back to Copenhagen

In 1920 Bentsen returned to Copenhagen to work at the Royal Danish Art Academy's School of Architecture, initially as Carl Petersen's assistant and then, from 1923, succeeding him as a professor. He still focused on residential architecture in his private practice, ranging from single-family detached homes over terraced housing developments (Bakkehusene) to apartment buildings (Kastelshaven). In 1932, he was commissioned to design the Niels Steensen Memorial Hospital, an Insulime Laboratory in

Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...

Personal life and legacy

Bentsen married Dagny Jensen on 5 May 1903 in Vallekilde, but this marriage was dissolved. He later married the sculptor Helle Margrethe Jensen Klint, P.V Jensen Klint's daughter, on 8 August 1921. Bentsen was awarded the C. F. Hansen Medal in 1943 but died shortly thereafter. He was buried in Tibirke Cemetery at

Tisvildeleje Tisvildeleje is a village and the coastal part of the town Tisvilde, located on the north coast of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in Denmark, 60 km/40miles north of Copenhagen in Region Hovedstaden. To the west, Tisvildeleje is bordered ...

. The street Ivar Bentsen's Vej in Jolbæk is named after him.

Selected projects

* Ivar Bentsen's own house, Kaas Allé 27,

Hellerup Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compr ...

(1903) * Vig Skole,

(1905, altered 2009) * Forpagterbolig, Torbenfeldts forpagterbolig, Holbæk (1907, demolished in 1976) * Buildings and adaption of the main building, Vesterbygaard (1907) * Landinspektørbolig, Svinninge (1908) * Egehøj Dairy, Føllenslev (1910) * School,

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Ubby Ubby is a town with a population of 1,865 (1 January 2025),BY ...

(1912) * Wiekær, Kelleklinte (1913) * North-West Zealand Power Station, Svinninge (1913, listed) * Snoghøj Folk High School (1913) * Officershusene, Bakkekammen 10–24, Holbæk (1913) * Møllevangen houses, Holbæk (1913) * Farmhouse, Hørve (1913) * Senior citizens' home, Tveje Merløse (1914) * Kai Nielsen House, Krathusvej 2,

Ordrup Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre. History Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...

(1914) * Askov Nedergård Gudmund Bentsen's Hpise,

Askov Højskole Askov Højskole is a Danish folk high school, that is located in the village of Askov, Denmark, Askov in southern Jutland between Kolding and Esbjerg. It was founded in 1865 as an extension of Denmark's first folk high school, which had been est ...

(1915) * Johannes Bjerg House, Aggersvej 4,

Skodsborg Skodsborg is a small town/suburb approx. 20 km. north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The town has a population of 1,228 (1 January 2024)

(1916) *

Blågårds Plads Blågårds Plads () is a public square attached to Blågårdsgade, a side street to Nørrebrogade in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a popular venue for events and various activities in the summer time. History The square ta ...

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...

, Copenhagen (1916, with Kai Nielsen, listed) * Birkelundgård, Herstedvester (1916) * Apartment building,

Borups Allé Borups Allé is a major artery in the northwestern part of inner Copenhagen, Denmark. The 3.2 km long street runs from Jagtvej at Nuuks Plads in the southeast to Bellahøj in the northwest. Just before Hulgårdsvej, part of Ring 2, Borups A ...

/Vestergårdsvej, Copenhagen (1917, with

) * Tower of Bøvling Valgmenighedskirke (1917, with Marius Pedersen) * Bakkekammen 40, Holbæk (1917, with Marius Pedersen) * Butterup Rectory, Butterup (1918, with Marius Pedersen) * Bakkekammen 27, Holbæk (1919, with Marius Pedersen) * Vestre Skole, Kalundborgvej, Holbæk (1919, ditto) * (1919, ditto) * Sømarksvej 27-28-29-30, Studiebyen,

(1920–24, with

) * Bakkehusene, Hvidkildevej,

Brønshøj Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district (''bydel'') of Brønshøj-Husum, in Denmark. History The first mention of the village Brønshøj (Brunshoga), is in a letter dated ...

(1921–23, with Thorkild Henningsen, listed) * Apartment building, Hulgårdsvej 1–15, Brønshøj (1921-23 with Thorkild Henningsen, windows changed) * Diget 24, Holbæk (1922, listed) * Maritime Monument,

Langelinie Langelinie ( English: Long Line) is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of ''The Little Mermaid'' statue. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen. Most cruise ...

(1924–28, with Svend Rathsack) * Rechendorff House, Vingårds Allé 37, Hellerup (1924) * Sigurd Swane House, Tranegårdsvej 5, Hellerup (1924) * Kastelshaven, Kastelsvej, Copenhagen (København) Østerbro København (1928, with Peter Nielsen, windows changed) * Niels Steensen Hospital and Insulin Laboratory, Gentofte (1932, windows changed) * Blidah Park, Strandvejen, Hellerup, block 1-6 (1934, with Jørgen U. Berg and

Acton Bjørn Acton Bjørn (23 September 1910 – 20 June 1992) was a Danish architect and designer. Biography Bjørn was born on 23 September 1910 in Copenhagen, the son of building painter Ove B. (1880–1959) and Ellen Marie Kjær (1880–1957). He studi ...

) * Domus Hagedorn, Gentofte (1934), restored in 2013–14 * Enighedslund, Vesterbro 1–15,

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

(1937, with Kooperative Arkitekter) * Terraced housing development, Vigerslev Allé, Copenhagen (1938-39 with Ole Buhl and T. Miland Petersen) * Emdrupvænge housing development, Emdrupvej, Copenhagen (1940–45, with Dan Fink, windows changed)

Adaptions and restorations

* Adaption of Frederiksborg Højskole (1913) * Adaption of

Frederiks Hospital The royal Frederiks Hospital was Denmark's first hospital in the present-day meaning of the word. It was founded by king Frederik V and financed by the earnings from the Norwegian Postal Service. The buildings, situated in Bredgade in Copen ...

for

Danish Design Museum The Designmuseum Denmark () is a museum in Copenhagen for Danish and international design and crafts. It features works of famous Danish designers like Arne Jacobsen, Jacob Jensen and Kaare Klint, who was one of the two architects who remodele ...

(1921–26, with Thorkild Henningsen and

, completed with Klint) * Restoration of Kirsten Piils Kilde,

Jægersborg Dyrehave Dyrehaven (Danish language, Danish "The Deer Park"), officially Jægersborg Dyrehave, is a forest park north of Copenhagen in the municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, Lyngby-Taarbæk. To the north it borders Jægersborgs Hegn, which ...

(1927)

References

External links

Works

Ivar Bentsen
at Odsherred Eiki
Bakkekammen 40

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentsen, Ivar 1876 births 1943 deaths People from Odsherred Municipality Danish architects Danish educators Recipients of the C.F. Hansen Medal Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts