Kristofer Leirdal (15 December 1915– 6 July 2010) was a Norwegian sculptor and art educator. He was especially noted for his sculptural contributions to the restoration of the

Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral () is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II ( 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of th ...

Biography

Leirdal was born in

Aure Municipality Aure is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, region of Nordmøre. The administrative centre is the Aure (village), village of Aure. Other v ...

Romsdalen Romsdalen is a valley in the western part of Norway. The long valley runs from the Romsdalsfjorden through Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county and into Lesja Municipality in Innlandet county. It is the valley of the Rauma (river), Rau ...

county, Norway. He was the son of Sakarias Skogan (1880-1951) and Karen Leirdal (1883-1966). He received his education 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 ...

from 1936 to 1938 and at the

Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts The Norwegian National Academy of Arts () was a former Norwegian tertiary institution in Oslo, offering studies in the area of fine art. Along with four other academies, it merged to form the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (, KHiO) in 1996. ...

under Professor Wilhelm Rasmussen between 1938 and 1940. He also was trained 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 ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

under Professor

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 ...

from 1945 to 1946. Leirdal worked as a sculptor at

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 ...

from 1941. He was a classically trained sculptor who was also adapted at the physical and stylistic frameworks of architecture. In 1990 Leirdal completed his last work at the cathedral. Leirdal participated the founding of Trondheim Academy of Fine Art and was an instructor in the sculpture class from 1946 to 1945. He was also a teacher at the Department of Design and Color at the Architectural Department of the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology ( Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was ...

from 1952 to 1982. Leirdal was active in the development of Trondheim Art Association. He was awarded the Benneches legat (1940), Statens stipend (1942) and Mohrs legat (1947). He received the Minnemedaljen in silver from 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 ...

(1965) and the Domkirkemedaljen in gold (198). In 1997 he was made Knight, First Class, of the

Royal Norwegian 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 ...

. He died in

in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leirdal, Kristofer 1915 births 2010 deaths People from Aure, Norway Norwegian sculptors Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Academic staff of the Norwegian Institute of Technology Academic staff of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal