Julius Middelthun


Julius Olavus Middelthun was a Norwegian sculptor and educator. He is most associated with his busts and statues.

Biography

Middelthun was born at Kongsberg in Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Georg Middelthun and Maren Margrethe Jørgensen. His father was employed at the Royal Norwegian Mint at Kongsberg. As a young man he trained as a goldsmith before moving to Copenhagen to study with Herman Wilhelm Bissen. His ten years there were followed by eight years in Rome, after which he returned to Norway.
From 1869 until his death in 1886, Middlethun taught at the Royal Drawing School in Christiania now the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in Oslo. Among his students were Erik Werenskiold, Louis Moe and Theodor Kittelsen, as well as Edvard Munch who painted the famous painting The Scream.

Selected Works