Jens Thiis (12 May 1870 – 27 June 1942) was a Norwegian

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 ...

, conservator and a prominent museum director. He was conservator at the Nordenfjeld Industrial Arts Museum (''Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum'') in

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 ...

beginning in 1895 and director of the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

from 1908 to 1941.

Biography

Jens Peter Thiis was born at Kongshavn in Aker, Norway. He was the son of Abraham Bøckmann Thiis (1840–90) and Emma Marie Löwegren (1842–1928). Thiis grew up with his mother's parents, goldsmith H. P. Löwegren and his wife in Kristiania (now Oslo). He graduated artium at Aars og Voss' skole in 1888. Thiis was a student at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design () was established in 1818. In 1996, the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO), along with the Norwegian National Academy of ...

(''Den kgl. Tegneskoleunder'') where he trained under artist Christen Brun (1828-1905) and academy director Wilhelm Holter (1842-1916). He studied art history under

Lorentz Dietrichson Lorentz Henrik Segelcke Dietrichson (1 January 1834 Bergen - 6 March 1917) was a Norwegian poet and historian of art and literature. Biography Lorentz Henrik Segelcke Dietrichson was the son of Fredrik Dietrichson (1800–52) and Marie Heiber ...

followed by study trips in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from 1892 to 1896. He was unusually alert to the trends of his time. In 1907, when at the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum in Trondheim, he engaged

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...

, now considered one of the foremost stylists of his time, to design an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

display room and all its furniture and furnishings. The Henry van de Velde Room is unique in its kind, being specially designed for this purpose. It was later recreated on the premises of the new Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum. As director of the National Gallery he bought French contemporary art (

Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

among others) and thus made a solid base for the French collection that is now one of the gallery's main attractions.

Personal life

In 1895, he married Ragna Vilhelmine Dons (1870–1939). Thiis was the father of historian

Ragna Thiis Stang Ragna Thiis Stang (15 September 1909 – 29 March 1978) was a Norwegian historian and museum administrator. Biography She was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. She was a daughter of museum director Jens Thiis and his wife Vilhelmine Don ...

(1909–1978) and architect

Helge Thiis Helge Thiis (16 August 1897 – 1 August 1972) was a Norway, Norwegian architect. He is most noted for service as head architect at the restoration of Nidaros Cathedral. Background Helge Thiis was born in Trondheim, Norway. He was the son of cur ...

(1897-1972). Jens Thiis was appointed as a knight of 1st class in the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1911 and made commander in 1937. He held a large number of foreign orders, including the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

and

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

as well as of several foreign art and science academies. He was awarded honorary citizenship of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

for his works on the

Florentine Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked the transition from ...

. Thiis died during 1942 and was buried at

Vestre gravlund Vestre Gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located next to the Borgen (station), Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway. It was inaugurated in September 1902 and also contains a cremator ...

Authorship

*''Norske malere og billedhuggere'', 3 vol., 1904–07 *''Monografi om Gerhard Munthe'', 1904 *''Norske malere og billedhuggere'': en fremstilling af norsk billedkunsts historie i det 19. årh. med oversikter over samtidig fremmed kunst. **Vol. 1. Malerkunsten i de første 80 år.

Bergen, Norway Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...

, 1904–07 **Vol. 2. Fransk malerkunst. Norske kunstforhold. Norsk malerkunst i de sidste 25 år. Bergen, 1904–07. **Vol. 3. Billedhuggerne. Bergen, 1904–07. *''

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

'': I. Florentinertiden; Leonardo og

Verrocchio Andrea del Verrocchio ( , , ; born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni; – 1488) was an Italian sculptor, painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the ...

; Helligtrekonger. Kra. 1909. *''Norsk malerkunst i Nationalgalleriet'': halvhundrede gjengivelser av norske maleres arbeider. Mittet, 1912. - 32 p., 59 bl. *''Fransk aand og kunst''. **Vol. 1. Fra gotik til klassicisme 1917. **Vol. 2. Barok og klassicisme 1917. *''Betragtninger og karakteristiker av moderne fransk maleri, nærmest i anledning av Kölnerutstillingen'', Grieg, 1912. - 56 p. * ''Scandinavian Art'', Carl Laurin, Emil Hannover, Jens Thiis; American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1922. *''Nordisk kunst idag'' 1923. *''Leonardo da Vinci I''. Florinertiden 1909. *''Fransk ånd og kunst'', 4 vol. 1917–1939. *''Edvard Munch og hans samtid'', 1933. *''Gotikkens tidsalder'': de franske katedraler.

, 1961 . - 30 p. *''Leonardo da Vinci'' Ny utg. med tillegg av senere studier ved Ragna Thiis og Nic. Stang Oslo: Gyldendal, 1949 . - XXVI s., 1 bl., 322 p. *''Essays'', editor

Øistein Parmann Øistein Parmann (10 March 1921 – 8 February 1999) was a Norwegian journalist, teacher, biographer and art historian. He served as the publishing director in Dreyers Forlag from 1975 until 1988. Background Parmann was born in Kristiania ...

. Oslo : Dreyer, 1991. - 219 p. *''En ukjent norsk kunstsamling'': J.W. Hansteens samling. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1941 . - 50 p. *''

Pisanello Pisanello (), born Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, was one of the most distinguished painters of the early Italian Renaissance and Quattrocento. He was acclaimed b ...

'': ungrenessansens grunnleggelse. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1941 . - 3 bl. (incl. frontb.), 107 p. *''

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that ...

'': den franske kvinnes maler. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1940. - 4 bl., 172 p. *''Kunst, gammel og ny''. Oslo : Gyldendal, 1937 . - 223 p. *''Fra

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

n til

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

n'' : samlede avhandlinger om fremmed kunst. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1936 . - 211 p. *''

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

'' og hans samtid: slekten, livet og kunsten, geniet. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1933. - 3 bl.+330 p. *''Norges billedkunst siden 1814''. Medvirkende Grevenor, Henrik Langaard, Johan Henrik. Oslo : Stenersen, 1933. - 95 p. *''Norges billedkunst siden 1814''. Jens Thiis, H. T. Grevenor, Johan H. Langaard. 1933. 95 pages, illustrated. Universitetets radioforedrag. Jens Thiis: ''

Johan Christian Dahl Johan Christian Claussen Dahl (24 February 178814 October 1857), often known as or , was a Danish- Norwegian artist who is considered the first great romantic painter in Norway, the founder of the "golden age" of Norwegian painting. He is often ...

'', ''

''. Henrik Grevenor:''80-årene i norsk malerkunst''. Johan Langaard: ''Norsk malerkunst efter 1900''.

References

Other sources

*Mæhle, Ole (1970) ''Jens Thiis, En kunstens forkjemper'' (Oslo: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag) *Sommerfeldt, W.P. (1946) ''Museumsdirektør Jens Thiis's forfatterskap''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiis, Jens 1870 births 1942 deaths People from Akershus Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Norwegian artists Norwegian art historians Directors of museums in Norway Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Recipients of the Order of Vasa Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Burials at Vestre gravlund