
Per Ung (5 June 1933 – 20 June 2013) was a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
sculptor and graphic artist.
Biography
Ung was born in Oslo, Norway. He was the son of Per Ohlsen (1907–85) and Randi Tangen (1905-89). He was schooled in the conservative sculptural tradition but gradually distanced himself from formal and substantive traditionalism. He received his sculptor education under the influential of
Per Palle Storm (1910–1994) at the
Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts
The Norwegian National Academy of Arts ( no, Statens kunstakademi) is a Norwegian Academy offering studies in the area of Fine Art. The Academy currently offers 3-year bachelor and 2-year MA programmes. The "Norwegian National Academy of the Arts" ...
from 1952-55. He became a student of
Anthony Caro
Sir Anthony Alfred Caro (8 March 192423 October 2013) was an English abstract art, abstract sculptor whose work is characterised by assemblages of metal using 'Found object, found' industrial objects. His style was of the modernist school, hav ...
(1924–2013) at
St. Martin's School of Art
Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
in 1960.
Ung made a number of public portrait statues and monuments, most of them on private assignments.
His first large public commission was the statue of actress
Johanne Dybwad
Johanne Dybwad (née Juell; 2 August 1867 – 4 March 1950) was a Norwegian stage actress and stage producer. She was the leading actress in Norwegian theatre for half a century.
Early and personal life
Johanne was born in Christiania (now ...
(bronze. 1959), located on ''Johanne Dybwads plass'' outside the
National Theatre in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) 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 ...
. His monument of
figure skater
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic champion (1928, 1932, 1936) in women's singles, a ten-time World champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European champion ...
( (bronze. 1985) is located at
Frogner stadion
Frogner stadion is a sports stadium in Oslo, Norway, which has artificial ice in the winter for speed skating and bandy. The artificial grass is used in the summer for soccer and American football. It is located close to the Frogner Park, betwe ...
. His statue of Nobel Prize laureate
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...
(bronze. 1993) is placed outside the ''Fram building'' at
Bygdøy
Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner; historically Bygdøy was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948.
Bygdøy is a popul ...
. A monument of the composer
Johan Halvorsen
Johan Halvorsen (15 March 1864 – 4 December 1935) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist.
Life
Born in Drammen, he was an accomplished violinist from a very early age and became a prominent figure in Norwegian musical life. He re ...
(bronze. 2002) is placed outside the National Theatre in Oslo.
Ung was member and served as chairman of the Norwegian Association of Sculptors (''Norsk Billedhuggerforening''), was a member of the Young Artists Society (''Unge Kunstneres Samfund'') and served on the Board of Supervisors of
Kunstnernes Hus
Kunstnernes Hus ( Norwegian for "Artists' House") is an art gallery in Oslo, Norway. It is Norway's largest gallery under the direction of artists, and has served as a major center for exhibits of Norwegian and international contemporary art. I ...
in Oslo from 1967-69. He was granted the
A. C. Houens legat in 1953, Conrad Mohrs legat in 1958 and 1964, Moltzaus legat in 1957 and Lorch-Schives legat in 1960. He received the Ingeborg og Per Palle Storms ærespris in 1995. In 2007, he was appointed Knight 1st Class in the
Order of St. Olav
The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; 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 ...
.
Personal life
He was married in 1953 to Valerie Lyndall Dick, marriage dissolved 1987.
He was married in 1987 with sculptor Elena Engelsen-Wisse, daughter of woodcarver and illustrator
Henning Engelsen
Henning Engelsen (5 February 1918 – 8 September 2005) was a Norwegian woodcarver and illustrator.
Biography
Henning Engelsen was born at Sandefjord in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway.
He started his woodcarving career in 1947 in a small wor ...
(1918–2005).
Per Ung died of cancer in Oslo during 2013 at the age of 80.
Selected works
*''Korsfestet'' (bronze. 1970) Tasta Church,
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , US usually , ) is a city and municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the administrative center of Rogaland county. T ...
*''Kvinne og måker'' (bronze. 1974) Etterstad videregående skole, Oslo
*''Eros og Psyke'' (bronze. 1982) Veterinærhøgskolen, Oslo
*''Fiskerkone'' (bronze. 1999)
Svolvær
Svolvær () is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, along the Vestfjorden. The town has a population (2018) of 4,720 which gives t ...
*''Otto Sverdrup'' (bronze. 1999) Sandvika,
Bærum
Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electora ...
*''Fru Fortuna'' (bronze. 2005) Europarådets plass, Oslo
See also
*
Oslo Astrological Clock
The Oslo Astrological Clock is located at Karl Johans gate 3 in Oslo, the capital city of Norway. The astrological clock was donated by Christian Ringnes and features artwork designed by artists Elena Engelsen and Per Ung. Ringnes explained ...
References
External links
Per Ung official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ung, Per
1933 births
2013 deaths
Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni
20th-century Norwegian sculptors
Artists from Oslo
Deaths from cancer in Norway
Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal