Sofus Trygve Madsen (June 11, 1881 – January 19, 1977) was a Norwegian sculptor that has influenced the cityscape of Bergen with a total of 28 major and minor works. He was the son of the teacher and author Theodor Madsen.

Life and work

Grinegutten by artist Sofus Madsen - panoramio

Madsen was born in

Kristiania 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, an ...

(now Oslo), but his family moved to Bergen when he was three years old. He studied under the sculptor

Ingebrigt Vik Ingebrigt Vik (5 March 1867 – 22 March 1927) was a Norwegian sculptor. Vik is regarded as having been one of Norway's greatest sculptors from the first part of the 20th century. Biography Ingebrigt Vik was born in the village of Øystese ...

and mostly worked as a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

artist at that time. Madsen received his artistic education 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 ...

in Copenhagen and continued his education in Berlin and Paris before settling in Bergen in 1914. Together with

Anders Svor Anders Svor (December 14, 1864 – May 2, 1929) was a Norwegian sculptor. He was a realist influenced by Romanticism, and Auguste Rodin was also an important inspiration. His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition a ...

he participated in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

in Paris with two sculptures. He settled on Kanonhaugen Street in the

Landås Landås is a neighbourhood in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. Landås is located by the western side of the Ulriken mountain massif, from southeast of Haukeland University Hospital to the neighborhood of Nattland almost further ...

neighborhood of Bergen, in a house and studio that he designed himself. In 1999, the Sofus Madsen Museum opened in the house. It contains up to 180 sculptures, medals, drawings, and tapestries, some of which were made by his wife, Grethe Corneliussen Madsen. Madsen mostly created human figures in a classicist style with poses and expressions reflecting the attitudes and emotions in the themes he addressed. His most prominent work is ''Merkur'' (Mercury), which is located on the tower of the Sundt department store on the main square in Bergen, ''

Torgallmenningen Torgallmenningen, previously written Torvalmenningen, (General public square) is the main square of Bergen, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Nort ...

''. The tower and statue rise above the six-story building itself. Altogether there are 28 sculptures and reliefs by Sofus Madsen in Bergen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madsen, Sofus 20th-century Norwegian sculptors Culture in Bergen Artists from Oslo 1881 births 1977 deaths Art competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics