Siegfried Wagner (13 April 1874 1 August 1952) was a
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
sculptor.
Early life and education
Wagner was born to Jewish–Danish parents on 13 April 1874 in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. His father was plumber Joseph Meyer Wagner and his mother was Julie Philipsen. He was adopted by his uncle Julius Jacob Heine and Frederikke Wagner in 1892. The family lived in
Kongens Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site ...
, Denmark.
Wagner attended the
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) 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 Dan ...
in 1889–96. He worked for some time in
Vilhelm Bissen
Christian Gottlieb Vilhelm Bissen (5 August 1836 – 20 April 1913) was a Danish sculptor. He was also a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts with great influence on the next generation of Danish sculptors and for a while serv ...
's studio and under
J.F. Willumsen
Jens Ferdinand Willumsen (7 September 1863 – 4 April 1958) was a Danish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, architect and photographer. He became associated with the movements of Symbolism and Expressionism.
Biography
J. F. Willumsen was bor ...
at
Bing & Grøndahl
Bing & Grøndahl was a Danish porcelain manufacturer founded in 1853 by the sculptor Frederik Vilhelm Grøndahl and merchant brothers Meyer Hermann Bing and Jacob Herman Bing. The trademark backstamp for Bing & Grøndahl (B&G) porcelains is the t ...
. Wagner worked as a teacher at
Tegne- og Kunstindustriskolen for Kvinder in 1898–1900. He married
Olga Wagner
Olga Rosalie Aloisa Wagner née Packness (1873–1963) was a Danish painter and sculptor. After specializing in painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, she was trained as a sculptor by her husband Siegfried. She worked together with him ...
in 1899.
Career
Wagner and
Mogens Ballin
Mogens Ballin (20 March 1871, Copenhagen – 27 January 1914, Hellerup)
was a Danish artist, one of a group of painters who gathered in the Breton village of Pont-Aven. He later became a notable silversmith designing jewelry and lamps. created a metal workshop in Copenhagen in 1900. In May 1902, Wagner created approximately 65 designs before leaving the workshop in 1902 to assume a position as artistic director of Tvermoes & Abrahamsen's Chandelier Factory.
Wagner was represented at
Den Frie Udstilling
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 ...
from 1905. He won the Grand Prix at the World Expo in Paris in 1906.
He died on 1 August 1952 and was buried in
Sorgenfri Cemetery (the grave has been removed).
Løveborg
Sigfried and Olga Wagner lived with his foster parents in their Villa Ricca on Lottenborgvej in
Kongens Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site ...
from circa 1900 and purchased the house in 1910. The house was built in 1898 to a design by
Carl Brummer
Carl Harald Brummer (12 July 1864 – 14 February 1953) was a Danish architect who was influential in the design of homes at the beginning of the 20th century.
Biography
Brummer was born in Bogense. After attending the Danish Academy from 1888 ...
but later adapted and richly decorated by the two artists. It was after their acquisition known as Løveborg.
Legacy
Wagner's most well-known work is the
Lur Blowers
The Lur Blowers (Danish: Lurblæserne) is a monument located next to City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, consisting of a bronze sculpture of two lur players mounted on top of a tall terracotta column. The monument was a gift to the City of Copenha ...
on the City Hall Square in Copenhagen. He has also created the Swan Fountain in Varde and a bronze cast of his 1914 bust of
Tyge Brahe was installed at the
Round Tower
A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...
in Cpåenhagen in 1932.
His works for Bing & Grøndahl include the ''Fleurs de Lotus'' and ''Polichinelle'' vases, both of which were created for the 1900
Exposition Universelle
Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to:
*Universal exposition or World's Fair
*Expository writing
**Exposition (narrative)
*Exposition (music)
*Trade fair
* ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio
*Exposi ...
in Paris and later gifted to
Copenhagen City Hall
Copenhagen City Hall ( da, Københavns Rådhus) is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen.
Archit ...
where they are now on display in the Banquet Hall.
In 2006,
Vejen Art Museum
Vejen Art Museum ( da, Vejen Kunstmuseum) is an art gallery in Vejen Municipality in the south of Jutland, Denmark. It specializes in works from the end of the 19th century in styles including Symbolism and Art Nouveau.
Created in 1924 to hous ...
exhibited works by Olga and Siegfried Wagner, including sculptures, furniture, ceramics, silver and artefacts in wood.
List of selected works

Public art, monuments and memorials
* ''Aalborgmanden'', Administrationsbygningen, Boulevarden,
Aalborg
Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of ...
(1912)
* ''
Lur Blowers
The Lur Blowers (Danish: Lurblæserne) is a monument located next to City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, consisting of a bronze sculpture of two lur players mounted on top of a tall terracotta column. The monument was a gift to the City of Copenha ...
'', Regnbuepladsen, Copenhagen (1914)
* ''Svane og Frø'', Frisvadvej,
Varde
Varde is a Danish city in southwestern Jutland and is the primary city in the municipality of Varde, in Region of Southern Denmark. In 2015 municipality changed its motto to "We in nature" to emphasize its rural atmosphere. The town has an old ma ...
(1938)
* ''Ane Ryholt'', Trelde Næs,
Fredericia Municipality (1930. erected 1970)
* ''Tyge Brahe'' (1914, opst. 1932 ved Rundetårn)
* Bust of C. Bloch, Rigshospitalet's Garden, Copenhagen (1924, erected 1950)
Decorative works
*
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism.
Aspersion and affusion fonts
The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring) ...
,
Hellerup Church,
Hellerup
Hellerup () is a very affluent district of Gentofte Municipality in the suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. The most urban part of the district is centred on Strandvejen and is bordered by Østerbro to the south and the Øresund to the east. It compr ...
*
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism.
Aspersion and affusion fonts
The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring) ...
,
Mariendal Church,
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...
* * Two bronze caryatids, Hafnia Building,
Holmens Kanal
Holmens Kanal is a short street in central Copenhagen. Part of the main thoroughfare of the city centre, it extends from Kongens Nytorv for one block to a junction with a statue of Niels Juel where it turns right towards Holmens Bro while the t ...
9, Copenhagen (1910–11)
* ''Juda Løve'' (limestone, 1929, Mosaisk vestre Begr.pl., Kbh.)
* ''Ravnegruppe'',
Rigshospitalet
Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main bu ...
, Copenhagen (1931)
* Reliefs at Mønsteds Plads, Copenhagen (portal, plaster model 1909)
* 3 allegorical reliefs, Rockefeller Institute, Juliane Mariesvej 28, Copenhagen (models 1927);
* Reliefs, Institute of Chemistry and Physics,
Blegdamsvej 19 and 21, Copenhagen (sandstone models, 1930)
* 4 reliefs, Psyciatric Clinic,
Rigshospitalet
Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main bu ...
, Copenhagen (artificial stone, 1933)
* Granite reliefs, Aalborg Court House,
Aalborg
Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of ...
* Granite reliefs, Hobro Court House,
Hobro
Hobro () is an old market and railway town in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It has a population of 12,071 (1 January 2022). The town is situated in a hilly terrain at the head of Mariager Fjord, close to the ...
* Nykøbing M, Mors (bremerstenrelieffer)
* Relief on fireplace, Vesterbro 18, Aalborg.
* Memorial to Edvard Nielsen (1906, Trunderup)
* Memorial to Fr. Klee (1907, Silkeborg Bad)
* Monument to Elise Halkier, Tårbæk Cemetery,
Tårbæk (1910)
* Monument to Chr. Henrichsen, Assistens Cemetery,
Horsens
Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in D ...
(1917)
* Memorial to five fallen Resistance Fighters,
Ã…rs (1947, with Ejnar Packness)
* Monument to Danish Jew who died in Theresienstadt (granite, 1946, Mosaisk vestre Begr.pl.,);
* Spme 2++ gravestone, including those of J.E. Otto, )
Garrison Cemetery8; Viggo Stuckenberg (Assistens Cemetery, Copenhagen), Frederikke Heine (Mosaisk Vestre Begr.pl., Copenhagen), M.R. Raffel (smst.), dir. Jacob Lachmann (smst.), Valdemar Holm (Vestre Kgrd., Copenhagen), Christian N. Therchilsen (Frederiksberg Old Cemetery), Carl Bernhard Philipsen (Jewish Western Cemetery, Copenhagen)
Other
* orfulgt (1894)
* ''Livets brønd'' (1904)
* ''Stær'' (bronze, 1904, Kunstindustrimus., with Olga Wagner)
* ''Støtten fra Sodoma'' (1905,
Vejen Kunstmuseum, later in limestone)
* ''Frøprinsen'' (porfyr, 1909)
* ''Frejr på galten'' (limestone, 1914-24, with Olga Wagner,
Danish National Gallery)
* ''David med den overvundne Goliaths hoved'' (bronze, 1923)
* ''Kineser med fisk'' (model for statue in Tivoli, bronze, 1923)
' ''Angorakanin'' (Greenlandic marble, 1942)
* ''En træt vandringsmand'' (plaster, 1948)
;Statuettes
* ''Borger fra Potu'' (bronze, 1905)
* ''En gammel kone og Kone med krans'' (stoneware, 1905, bronze in the
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("ny" means "new" in Danish; "Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root ''glyphein'', to carve, and ''theke'', storing place), commonly known simply as Glyptoteket, is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection ...
)
* ''I sandhed jeg trykkes hårdt af de lidelser som ere mig beskikkede'' (1908)
; Portrait busts
* ''Monumentalt kvindehoved, hustruen'' (1900)
* ''
Viggo Stuckenberg'' (1901,
Frederiksborg Museum Frederiksborg may refer to:
* Frederiksborg Castle, in Hillerød, Denmark
* Frederiksborg, former name of Hillerød, a municipality to the north of Copenhagen, Denmark
* Frederiksborg County, former county on the island of Zealand in Denmark
* ...
)
* ''En ung jødinde (1905)
* ''Kai Hoffmann'' (1915)
* ''Niels Skovgaard'' (1923,
Danish Design Museum
The Designmuseum Denmark () is a museum in Copenhagen for Danish and international design and crafts. It features works of famous Danish designers like Arne Jacobsen, Jacob Jensen and Kaare Klint, who was one of the two architects who remodeled ...
)
* ''Georg Høeberg'' (1925, Frederiksborg Museum and Teatermuseet)
* ''
P.V. Jensen-Klint
PV may refer to:
Places
* Paceville, Malta
* Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
* Postal village, a settlement that has a post office
United States
* Palos Verdes Peninsula, California
* Prescott Valley, Arizona
* Prairie Village, Kansas
Politics
* P ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Henri Nathansen'' (1931, Det kgl. Teater and Teatermuseet)
* ''L. Fridericia'' (1932)
* ''
Johannes V. Jensen'' (1932,
Danish National Gallery)
* ''
Johan Rohde
Johan Gudmann Rohde (1 November 1856 – 18 February 1935) was a Danish painter, lithographer and designer. He was the principal founder of Den Frie Udstilling, established in 1891 to allow artists to exhibit works which did not fall within the A ...
'' (1934)
* Jacob Texière (1939)
*''
J.F. Willumsen
Jens Ferdinand Willumsen (7 September 1863 – 4 April 1958) was a Danish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, architect and photographer. He became associated with the movements of Symbolism and Expressionism.
Biography
J. F. Willumsen was bor ...
'' (1941)
;Portrait medallions
* ''Chr. Bohr'', ''D.F. Eschricht'' and ''P.L. Panum'' (marble, Institute of Physiology,
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
).
References
Further reading
* Nielsen, Teresa: ''Billedhuggerne Olga og Siegfried Wagner'',
Vejen Kunstmuseum (2005)
External links
Sigfried Wagnerat
Kunstindeks Danmark
''Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon'' (Weilbach's Biographical Dictionary of Artists) is a Danish biographical dictionary of artists and architects. The current edition, which is also freely accessible online, contains the biographies of some 8,000 Dani ...
SourceSource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Siegfried
19th-century Danish sculptors
20th-century Danish sculptors
Male sculptors
People from Kongens Lyngby
Artists from Hamburg
1874 births
1952 deaths
Danish male artists
19th-century Danish male artists
20th-century Danish male artists
Danish expatriates in Germany
Danish people of Jewish descent