Ingvar Cronhammar

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Danish. (February 2017) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Danish article. Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 411 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Danish Wikipedia article at [[:da:Ingvar Cronhammar]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|da|Ingvar Cronhammar}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Ingvar Cronhammar
Born	17 December 1947  Hässleholm
Died	20 May 2021  (aged 73)

Ingvar Cronhammar: Omen (1993) in Visby, Sweden

Installation in Frederiksberg/Denmark 2015.

Ingvar Cronhammar (17 December 1947 – 20 May 2021) was a Swedish-Danish sculptor, who lived in Denmark from 1965 until his death.^[1] He gained a unique place in Danish art with his dark monumental works, often presenting an eerie confrontation between modern technology and the primitive past.

Biography[]

Born in Hässleholm in the south of Sweden, he moved to Denmark in 1965 where he studied at the Jutland Art Academy in Aarhus from 1967 to 1971. Until the early 1980s, inspired by environmental art from the U.S., his spectacular works revealed his fascination with conflict and provocation and his contempt for convention. An early example was Koncert for en hjemmeværnsmand (Concert for the Home Guard, 1969) featuring live chickens with lamps strapped to their backs. In 1979, he presented chairs draped with pigskin and a parasol with swastikas.^[1]

Over the years, his works became increasingly larger, often with a sacred look, simultaneously inducing fascination and disgust. The Gate (1988) presents an infernal machine of steel, sound, light, and movement, representing a confrontation with death. The direct confrontation of work and nature is also apparent in his gigantic Elia (1989–2001) in Herning, conceived as a fire-spitting temple of dark steel.^[1] His fascination with machines also produced works with animal bones, bird wings and skin, juxtaposing nature with culture and creating visions combining primitive elements with modern technology.^[2]

Cronhammar stands alone in Danish culture with his huge monumental, machine-like works which he created with dark materials such as mahogany, steel. and rubber. They can be found both in museums and as public works across the country. The Herning Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits a large collection of his works.^[3]

He died on May 20th, 2021 at the age of 73 from blood clots in his heart.^[4]

Awards[]

In 1993, Cronhammar was awarded the Eckersberg Medal and, in 2003, the Thorvaldsen Medal.^[2] He was decorated a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 2007.^[5]

References[]

Literature[]

• Laugesen, Peter; Cronhammar, Ingvar (1992). Ingvar Cronhammar: et udvalg af billeder (in Danish). Fogtdal. ISBN 978-87-7248-253-8.
• Weirup, Torben; Cronhammar, Ingvar (2008). The Silence: A Narration about Ingvar Cronhammar (in Danish). Aristo. ISBN 978-87-91984-04-4.

External links[]

• Ingvar Cronhammar's website
• Comprehensive list of Cronhammar's works from KunstOnline
• Illustrated portrait of Ingvar Cronhammar from KunstOnline