Background
Born in Copenhagen, he was brought up in Odense where he was introduced to wood carving by his father.
Born in Copenhagen, he was brought up in Odense where he was introduced to wood carving by his father.
He is remembered for his memorials in Copenhagen"s Fælledparken and Aarhus" Marselisborg Mindeparken. We went on to study sculpture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Carl Aarsleff and Joakim Skovgaard. He was awarded the Academy"s gold medal in 1913 for his relief Christus uddriver Kræmmerne af Templet (Christ drive the moneylenders from the temple).
From 1912, he exhibited at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition.
He then spend a few years in Rome and Florence where in 1914 he completed his Den første Kærlighed (First Love) in the Italian Renaissance style, inspired by Donatello"s figure of Street John. The work represented a new theme, the sexuality youth.
Known as the Genforenings-monument (Reunion Monument), it is installed at the entrance to Copenhagen"s Fælledparken. Other monuments included the Marselisborg memorial to the First World War, the Second World War memorial in Ryvangen (1946) and Kongehyldningsmonument (King"s Tribute Monument) in Viborg (1965) depicting Margrethe I and Eric of Pomerania.
In all these works, Poulsen succeeds in expressing human feelings in natural and simple style.
Adriansen, Inge (2003).