Torben Niels Ebbesen (born 10 July 1945) is a Danish sculptor and painter. His installations in contrasting materials and other abstract works can be seen in locations in Denmark, Germany and Sweden as well as in several Danish museums.

Early life and education

Born in

Haderslev Haderslev (; german: Hadersleben ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,011 (1 January 2022).Kunsthåndværkerskolen The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, more commonly known as the Danish Design School (Danish: ''Danmarks Designskole''. often abbreviated as DKDS) is an institution of higher education in Copenhagen, Denmark, offering a five-yea ...

in Copenhagen. In 1967, he moved to Italy where he first worked for an advertising agency before joining a soul band as a saxophonist for a year. As he toured Italy with the band, he prepared to enter 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 ...

on his return to Copenhagen. At the Academy, he studied under

Egill Jacobsen Egill Jacobsen (16 December 1910 – 21 April 1998) was a Danish painter who became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy. Biography Born in Copenhagen, Jacobsen studied painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Kræsten Iversen ...

Richard Mortensen Richard Mortensen (23 October 1910 – 6 January 1993) was a Danish painter. Biography Richard Strange Mortensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied between 1931 and 1932 at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. Influenced by the ...

and

Palle Nielsen Palle Louis Nielsen (8 August 1920 – 5 September 2000) was a Danish illustrator and graphic artist. Considered to be one of the masters of his times, his works include drawings, watercolours, woodcuts and linocuts. Biography Born in Copenha ...

, graduating in 1975.

Career

From 1976 to 1984, he was a member of the Ny Abstraktion group founded by

Margrete Sørensen Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning " pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throug ...

where he became interested in three-dimensional art. In parallel, he studied

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic vis ...

at the

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 ...

while working as cultural correspondent for the newspaper ''

Information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...

''. In the 1970s, he was initially influenced by the Russian Constructivist painters

Vladimir Tatlin Vladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin ( – 31 May 1953) was a Russian and Soviet painter, architect and stage-designer. Tatlin achieved fame as the architect who designed The Monument to the Third International, more commonly known as Tatlin's Tower, w ...

and

Kazimir Malevich Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...

. He then became increasingly interested in installations, using wood, iron bars, tiles, rubber and other industrial materials. In his ''Axis Mundi'' (1980), he expressed the inner "nirvana" while attempting to depict the individual's outer view of the world. A trip to Japan in the 1980s inspired him to adopt a more metaphysical approach to his work in line with the teachings of

Zen Buddhism Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

. This is apparent in his ''Reflektor'' (2005) in Emdrup. Made of mirror glass, the work lies on the steps of an amphitheatre, depicting the effects of weather and time. In addition to public works in Denmark, Germany and Sweden, Ebbesen's creations can be seen in museums across Denmark.

Awards

In 1991, Ebbesen 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 Ec ...

and, in 1999, the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal ( 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 the visual arts. I ...

References

External links

Portrait in Danish from KunstOnline with several illustrations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebbesen, Torben 1945 births Living people 20th-century Danish painters People from Haderslev Municipality Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 20th-century Danish sculptors 20th-century male artists