Rasmus Nellemann (2 March 1923 – 4 September 2004) was a Danish painter and illustrator. He is remembered in particular for his many abstract postage stamp designs.

Biography

Born in Millinge near

Fåborg Faaborg or Fåborg () is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located southwest of Odense, west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly southeast of Midd ...

on the island of

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

, Nellemann was introduced to art at the Odense Technical School before attending 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 ...

(1948–53) where he studied painting under Aksel Jørgensen and

Vilhelm Lundstrøm Vilhelm Lundstrøm (26 May 1893 – 9 May 1950) was a Danish modernist painter. He was a central figure in early Danish experimental art and introduced French cubism to Denmark. Biography Vilhelm Henry Lundstrøm was born in Copenhagen, Den ...

and graphic arts under Holger Jensen. In 1950, Nellemann exhibited six paintings of Millinge at the Artists Autumn Exhibition (''

Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest asso ...

'') but soon concentrated on graphic arts, initially lithography, then etching. His illustrations were in a simple abstract style, full of straight lines. He also designed many postage stamps from 1960 to 1992, becoming Denmark's most productive artist in the field with 32 different designs. Nellemannn was also a ceramist, applying his Constructivist approach to ceramic reliefs for the Bygholm agricultural school near

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...

and

Ledøje-Smørum Until 1 January 2007 Ledøje-Smørum was a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Copenhagen County on Zealand (''Sjælland'') island in eastern Denmark, then merged into Egedal. The municipality covered an area of and had a total population of 1 ...

's town hall.

Awards

In 1974, Nellemann was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

and, in 1986, the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish language, Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within th ...

References

Literature

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External links

Illustrated list of Rasmus Nellemann's works in Danish museumsSelection of Nellemann's works from Clausens KunsthandelExamples of Nellemann's postage stamp designs from the Post & Tele Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nellemann, Rasmus 1923 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish illustrators 20th-century Danish ceramists Danish stamp designers People from Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni