Jørgen Haugen Sørensen (born 3 October 1934) is one of Denmark’s most esteemed and decorated sculptors. At the age of 15 he began a traineeship in pottery-making and two years later made his national debut at the prestigious Spring Exhibtion at Charlottenborg. The exhibition was an instant success for the young artist, who was hailed as the greatest Danish sculptor since Bertel Thorvaldsen.

Since the age of 19, Haugen Sørensen has lived and worked in various European metropoles such as Paris, Verona and Barcelona. In 1971 he moved to Pietrasanta in Tuscany, Italy, which has served as his primary residence ever since.
With his portfolio being dominated by various installations in bronze and clay throughout the 1960’s, Haugen Sørensen made a transition into marble and granite in the 70’s, his style gradually shifting in colour scheme and format. As time went on, his sculptures took on a darker and more cynical appearance, where the smoothness of the surface was brought to clash with a contemptuous and growling undertone. The artist’s infamous stylistic expression encapsulates the cold and gloomy aspects of the human condition, where terms such as innocence and dignity are unknown.

The people and animals of Jørgen Haugen Sørensen’s world often overlap in a series of violent, revolting and frightening constellations. Despite the continuous theme of cynicism, the sculptures are always drenched in a layer of sarcasm and dark humor.
Jørgen Haugen Sørensen has exhibited widely in Denmark and internationally. He has done countless commissions, redefined city spaces, squares and parks, erected enormous sculptures in capitals such as Seoul, Ankara and Rome, and decorated numerous official institutions – notably the Copenhagen Courthouse in 2013; a job that Thorvaldsen was initially given 200 years ago.

Jørgen Haugen Sørensen was awarded the Eckersberg Medal in 1969 and the Thorvaldsen Medal in 1979; the highest national honor a Danish artist can achieve.