Jorn, Asger

Jorn, Asger (originally Asger Jørgensen) (1914–1973). Danish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, designer, collector, and writer, active in Paris for much of his career. He was born at Vejrum, Jutland, and grew up in Silkeborg. Initially he trained to be a teacher, but in 1936 he went to Paris to study art. He attended Léger's academy for ten months and then worked for Le Corbusier on a mural for the 1937 International Exhibition. Throughout the Second World War he lived in Denmark and during the German occupation (1940–5) he printed a banned periodical. After the war he returned to Paris, where in 1948 he was one of the founders of the Cobra group. The group's central doctrine was freedom of expression, and Jorn's most characteristic works are highly coloured abstracts painted with violent brushwork. In 1951 he became ill with tuberculosis and returned to Silkeborg, where he spent ten months in a sanatorium. After his recovery he travelled widely, but he divided his time mainly between Paris and Albisola Marina in northern Italy. In 1957–61 he participated in the International Situationist movement, and late in life he took up sculpture. His other works include numerous book illustrations and he also wrote several books himself, beginning with Held og hasard (Luck and Chance) in 1952. The others include Magi og skønne kunster (Magic and the Fine Arts), published in 1971. Although he lived mainly elsewhere, he retained a great affection for his homeland, and he carried out several major works for sites there, notably a ceramic wall (installed 1959) and a tapestry (1960) for Århus State High School. He presented many works by himself and by his contemporaries to the Silkeborg Museum.