Per Krohg
Encyclopedia
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
artist. Per Krohg is most frequently associated with the mural he created for the United Nations Security Council Chamber, located in the United Nations building in New York City.
Biography
He was born in ÅsgårdstrandÅsgårdstrand
Åsgårdstrand is a city in Vestfold, Norway. It is also the name of a former independent municipality and a center of trade. The town is situated 10 km south of Horten, 10 km north of Tønsberg and 100 km south of Oslo by the west coast of the Oslofjord.From 2007, the town has had the...
, in the county of Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
, Norway. He was the son of painters Christian Krohg
Christian Krohg
Christian Krohg , was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist.-Life and career:...
and Oda Krohg
Oda Krohg
Oda Krohg, born Othilia Pauline Christine Lasson , was a Norwegian painter, and the wife of her teacher and colleague Christian Krohg....
. The family lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
when Per Krohg grew up. He early showed great artistic talent, and was a student first at his father from 1903 to 1907, and of Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
from 1909 to 1910. In the early years he worked as a newspaper illustrator and taught tango in Paris.
Per Krohg's work as an artist spanned over a wide field, from paper drawings, illustrations and posters to set design, sculpture and monumental paintings. He was a teacher at the National College of Art and Design from 1934, professor at the National Art Academy, 1946–58, director 1955-58. Among others, his students included artists Frithjof Tidemand-Johannessen
Frithjof Tidemand-Johannessen
Carl Frithjof Tidemand-Johannessen was a Norwegian artist, designer, illustrator, writer, author and craftsman...
and Tulla Blomberg Ranslet
Tulla Blomberg Ranslet
Tulla Blomberg Ranslet is a Norwegian painter. She has been acclaimed, along with her husband, as one of the few internationally appraised artists from Bornholm-Biography:...
.
Per Krohg created the murals for the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
Chamber, located in the United Nations building in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He adorned many other public buildings with large frescoes, including the Physics and Chemistry Buildings, at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and the Oslo City Hall
Oslo City Hall
Oslo City Hall houses the city council, city administration, and art studios and galleries. The construction started in 1931, but was paused by the outbreak of World War II, before the official inauguration in 1950. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, held...
. He is represented at the National Museum for Art and Skagens Museum.
In 1950 he received the King's Medal of Merit in gold, and 1955 he was appointed Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. From 1936 he was a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna) in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and in 1948 he was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal
Prince Eugen Medal
The Prince Eugen Medal , is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V in 1945, in connection with the eightieth birthday of his brother Prince Eugen who was a noted painter and art...
(Prins Eugen-medaljen).
Personal life
He was married twice. In 1915 he married textile artist Cécile Marie ("Lucy") Vidil (1891–1977). Their marriage was dissolved during 1934. He was married in 1934 to Ragnhild Helene Andersen (1908–1972). He was the father of Norwegian artist, Guy Krohg (1917–2002).Other sources
- Nergaard, Trygve Bilder av Per Krohg (Aschehoug. 2000) ISBN 82-03-22447-4
- Hölaas, O. Per Krohg. A retrospective loan exhibition of oil paintings (New York: Galerie St. Etienne, 1954)
- Langaard, Johan Per Krohg (Glendendal Norsk Forlat. 1931)
