Cathinca Olsen

Vilhelmine Cathinca Olsen (born 3 August 1868, Copenhagen – died 13 September 1947, Copenhagen) was a Danish ceramicist, painter, and designer. She won a Gold Medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts.

Early life and education Olsen was born in Copenhagen. Her first and middle names are alternatively spelled as 'Wilhelmine' and 'Kathinka' in some sources. She began working with Bing & Grøndahl's porcelain factory in 1896, initially producing decorative porcelain pieces under the influence of artists such as J. F. Willumsen.

Career and artistic style Olsen worked in stoneware production with the manufacturer Bing & Grøndahl during their transition to stoneware production under the architect Carl Petersen around 1912. Their journey introduced new visual influences that enriched her design vocabulary.

Her work was exhibited in a retrospective of women artists in Copenhagen (1920), and won a Gold Medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. Her work was also shown at the Brooklyn Museum (1927), and a joint show at Bing & Grøndahl in 1940. In 2008, an individual who was occasionally visited by Olsen donated 10 painted works, mostly studies, adding to their collection, which had already included some of Olsen's ceramics.