Jens Christian Jensen (11 May 1928 – 6 April 2013) was a German

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

and

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

Life

Born in

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, after the

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

passed at the

Katharineum The Katharineum zu Lübeck is a humanistic gymnasium founded 1531 in the Hanseatic city Lübeck, Germany. In 2006 the 475th anniversary of this Latin school was celebrated with several events. The school uses the buildings of a former Franciscan m ...

, Jensen studied art history, classical archaeology, Germanistics and

history of Christianity The history of Christianity began with the life of Jesus, an itinerant Jewish preacher and teacher, who was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified in Jerusalem . His followers proclaimed that he was the Incarnation (Christianity), incarnation of Go ...

in Heidelberg and Mainz from 1949. He received his doctorate in 1954 with Walter Paatz on '' Master Bertram as a picture carver''. He then worked as a volunteer at the Museum für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte in Lübeck. From 1958, he was first a

research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, research institute, or privately held organization to provide assistance in academic or private research endeavors. Research assistants work under ...

, later curator at the

Kurpfälzisches Museum The Kurpfälzisches Museum (Palatinate Museum) is a museum of art and archaeology in Heidelberg, Germany. It is located in the Palais Morass. It was founded in the late 1870s, when the city of Heidelberg purchased the private collection of the ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

and from 1968 to 1970 director of the . In 1971, he was appointed the first independent director of the

Kunsthalle Kiel The Kunsthalle zu Kiel is an art museum in the German city of Kiel. With 2,000 m2 of display space, it is the largest museum in the city. It is north of the city centre on Düsternbrooker Weg. It has a lecture hall, a small cafe and a sculptu ...

and executive chairman of the ''Schleswig-Holsteinischer Kunstverein''. Jensen retired in 1990. From 1972 to 2005, Jensen was a member of the scientific advisory board of the

Museum Georg Schäfer The Museum Georg Schäfer is a German art museum in Schweinfurt, Bavaria. Based on the private art collection of German industrialist Georg Schäfer (1896–1975), the museum primarily collects 19th-century paintings by artists from German-speaki ...

in Schweinfurt. In 1979, he was awarded the Honorary Professorship of the State of Schleswig-Holstein "in recognition of his services to the activation of art life in Schleswig-Holstein and in appreciation of his scholarly achievements in the service of art". Jensen was the author of numerous writings on medieval sculpture, on 19th and 20th century painting and drawing, and on contemporary art. In 2008, he was curator of the exhibition ''Carl Spitzweg and Wilhelm Busch. Two Artists' Anniversaries'' in the

Wilhelm Busch Museum The Wilhelm Busch Museum (, "Wilhelm Busch - German Museum of Caricature and Drawings") is a museum in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. It features the world's largest collection of works by Wilhelm Busch, as well as contemporary comic art, illust ...

in Hanover. Jensen was decorated as a knight of the Danish

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

. He was a member of the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (, DKNVS) is a Norway, Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The society's Protector is King Harald V of ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. He received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

.Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung FAZ, Traueranzeige, edition No. 86, 13 April 2013, . In 1991, he was honoured with the . Jensen died in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

at the age of 84.

Publications (selection)

* ''Meister Bertram als Bildschnitzer. Das Verhältnis des Doberaner Lettneraltares zu den Skulpturen des Hamburger Petrialtares.'' Dissertation Heidelberg 1954 (Maschinenschriftlich vervielfältigt 1956). * Jens Christian Jensen (ed.) ''100 Jahre Kieler Woche – Lyonel Feininger: Gemälde, Aquarelle und Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik''. Verlag: Kunsthalle zu Kiel der Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel 1982 * ''Amerikanische Kunst von 1945 bis heute.'' Published together with Dieter Honisch. DuMont, Cologe 1976 * ''

Philipp Otto Runge Philipp Otto Runge (; 1777–1810) was a German artist, draftsman, painter, and color theorist. Runge and Caspar David Friedrich are often regarded as the leading painters of the German Romantic movement.Koerner, Joseph Leo. 1990. ''Caspar Davi ...

.'' DuMont, Cologne 1977, * ''

Christian Rohlfs Christian Rohlfs (November 22, 1849 - January 8, 1938) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the important representatives of German expressionism. Early life and education He was born in Groß Niendorf, Kreis Segeberg in Prussia. He to ...

. Gemälde − Aquarelle.'' Ausstellungskatalog. Kunsthalle, Kiel 1979 * '' Paul Wunderlich. Eine Werkmonographie'' with contribution by

Max Bense Max Bense (7 February 1910 in Strasbourg – 29 April 1990 in Stuttgart) was a German philosopher, writer, and publicist, known for his work in philosophy of science, logic, aesthetics, and semiotics. His thoughts combine natural sciences, art, an ...

and Philippe Roberts-Jones. Volker Huber, Offenbach 1980 * ''

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Danzig (now Gda ...

. Hundert Zeichnungen 1955–1987.'' Ausstellungskatalog der Kunsthalle Kiel. Herausgegeben von Jens Christian Jensen, Kiel 1987, * '' Harald Duwe. Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde und Ölstudien.'' Prestel, Munich 1987, * ''

Carl Spitzweg Carl Spitzweg (February 5, 1808 – September 23, 1885) was a German romantic painter, especially of genre subjects. He is considered to be one of the most important artists of the Biedermeier era. Life and career Spitzweg was born in Mun ...

. Zwischen Resignation und Zeitkritik.'' DuMont, Cologne 1991, * ''

Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich (; 5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a German Romanticism, German Romantic Landscape painting, landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation, whose often symbolic, and anti ...

. Leben und Werk.'' (dumont Taschenbücher, vol. 14), 1st edition, DuMont Schauberg, Cologne 1974, (Nachauflage 1995). ** New edition, revised and with an Afterword, DuMont, Cologne 1999, .

References

External links

* *
Jens Christian Jensen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Jens Christian German art historians Academic staff of the University of Kiel German curators 1928 births 2013 deaths People from Lübeck

Life

Publications (selection)

References

Further reading

External links