Gro Jessen

Gro Jessen (1938–2003) was a Norwegian textile artist. One of her country's most significant contributors to textile art in the second half of the 20th century, she also taught at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry and was active in a number of craft organizations including Norske Kunsthåndverkere. From the 1980s, her works were increasingly decorative as she experimented with new techniques and a variety of fabrics. Several of her creations are in the permanent collection of Norway's National Museum. Jessen has received a number of prizes, including the Norske Kunsthåndverkere's Honorary Award in 2003.

Early life and family Born in Brunlanes on 28 May 1938, Gro Jessen was the daughter of Mary Jessen (1899–1998) and the forest manager Hans Austeen (1897–1971). She matriculated from the secondary school in Larvik in 1955 and studied textile art at the Academy of Craft and Art Industry in Oslo, graduating in 1962. In 1962, she married the painter Arne Sørensen (born 1937). The marriage was dissolved in 1965. In 1968, she married the writer Halvor Roll (1929–2008). The marriage was dissolved in 1977. and in 2000 she received the Norske kunsthåndverkere Honorary Award.