Thyra Boldsen facts for kids
Thyra Valborg Boldsen (1884–1968) was a talented sculptor from Denmark. She made beautiful art using many kinds of stone. Her sculptures looked very real, like people or things you would see in everyday life. Thyra became very famous in the United States, especially after she moved to California in 1931.
Four of her amazing sculptures were placed in Los Angeles' Exposition Park in 1936. In the 1920s, she also gave talks about art. She wrote books about big ideas and how to live a good life. Her art was even part of the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Thyra's Early Life and Art Training
Thyra Valborg Boldsen was born on January 2, 1884, in a town called Farum in Denmark. Her father, Frederik Svane Grundtzmann, was a farmer. In 1906, she married an engineer named Kai Svane Gnudtzmann, but their marriage ended in 1915.
Thyra started learning how to be a sculptor with an artist named Gunnar Jensen. She first studied at the Arts and Crafts School for Women. Then, in 1903, she was accepted into the famous Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
She spent an extra year studying art in Paris, France, at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1905 to 1906. She finished her studies at the Academy in 1912. In 1915, she traveled to Greece and Italy to see more art and learn new things.
Exhibitions and New Ideas
Thyra often showed her sculptures at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibitions in Denmark. She exhibited there almost every year from 1907 to 1932. When the Danish Society of Female Artists started in 1916, she was one of the first members. She also showed her work at their special exhibition in 1920.
In 1918, Thyra displayed three statues in a park called Øregårdsparken in Hellerup. One of these was a white marble statue called "Kvindernes Valgret," which means "Votes for Women." This statue showed her support for women being able to vote.
The sadness from World War I deeply affected Thyra. She opened her home to people who needed a safe place. She also became very interested in philosophy, which is about big questions of life. She hoped philosophy could help bring peace to the world. She even took private lessons to learn more about it.
Success in the United States
Thyra Boldsen found her greatest success in the United States. She first visited the country in 1926. After a few more trips, she decided to live in California in 1931. She stayed there for the rest of her life.
She created sculptures of famous people. These included a bust (a sculpture of someone's head and shoulders) of the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh. She also made a bust of the Japanese dancer Michio Itō.
Other important works by Thyra include The Melody of Life and The World Mother, both made in 1932. The Melody of Life was one of four of her sculptures placed in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Thyra said she made these four sculptures to honor women and mothers. She wanted them to show "love, life and joy," while many statues before had shown bravery. After she passed away in 1968, these statues were moved back to Denmark.
Thyra Boldsen passed away in Monrovia, California, on September 22, 1968.
