Sven Havsteen-Mikkelsen

Sven Havsteen-Mikkelsen (16 September 1912 – 14 February 1999) was a Danish painter who is remembered for his old Nordic landscapes, his church decorations and his woodcuts.

Early life and education

After his parents, Johan Theodor Havsteen and Ella Holm-Jensen, divorced, Havsteen-Mikkelsen was brought up by the polar explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen. He studied art under Olivian Holm Møller (1929), Fritz Syberg (1929–1932), P. Rostrup Bøyesen (1932–1933) and Oluf Høst (1932–1933). He also spent short periods at the Norwegian Academy under Per Krohg (1933–1934) and at the Danish Academy under Elof Risebye (1942–1943).

Artistic career

Havsteen-Mikkelsen's art and interests were deeply rooted in the Nordic countries. Under the influence of Ejnar Mikkelsen and thanks to early voyages to the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland, he was confronted while still young with subjects he would maintain throughout his life. He became especially interested in the age-old landscapes of the North, still free of the detrimental effects of civilisation. In his youth, Havsteen-Mikkelsen became acquainted with the Funen Painters where he also learnt the art of woodcut, a technique he would later use to illustrate books on Nordic literature. At the Academy in Oslo, his studies of stave church decoration developed his interest in sacred art.

Havsteen-Mikkelsen received many awards for his work including the Eckersberg Medal in 1960

Church decorations and furnishings Bronze gates (1985) to Frederik IX's Mausoleum, RoskildeOf particular note is the decorative work Havsteen-Mikkelsen completed in some 60 churches in Denmark, Norway, Greenland and the Faroes comprising altarpieces, paintings, stained glass windows and crucifixes. Favourite subjects include Christ calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Christ's Crucifixion, and Christ's appearance in Emmaus.

Permanent exhibitions

A permanent exhibition of Havsteen-Mikkelsen's work can be seen at Schæffergården in Jægersborg to the north of Copenhagen.

Søbygaard on the island of Ærø houses an exhibition of the preparatory sketches Havsteen-Mikkelsen made for his stained glass windows while Ærø Museum has a large collection of his portrait sketches, lithographs, illustrations and postage stamp works.