Christian Petersen

Background

He was born on February 25,1885 in Dybbol, Denmark.

Education

Petersen would have preferred to study sculpture or architecture, but financial circumstances forced him into a commercial career of die-cutting and similar kinds of engraving. After study at the Newark (New Jersey) Technical School and the Fawcett School of Design, he joined a jewelry and metal design firm, the Robbins Company, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he lived with his wife, Emma, and three children.

Career

During the early years of his career, he advanced his education in the fine arts at every opportunity, taking classes at the Art Students League in New York in 1910 and the Rhode Island School of Design in 1911-1912, and serving an apprenticeship with the Boston sculptor Henry Hudson Kitson around 1920. In 1928 Petersen decided to abandon commercial work entirely and devote himself to his fine arts career. In January 1934 Grant Wood, director of the Iowa project, invited Petersen to become part of his PWAP studio at the State University of Iowa. Petersen remained there until the project officially ended in April 1934 and through that summer. The success of Petersen’s sculpture enabled Iowa State President Raymond M. Hughes to add Petersento the college’s staff in October 1934 as the first sculptor-in-residence in any American college. He soon began to teach sculpture classes in addition to creating works of art for the campus. From then until his retirement in 1955, Petersen created a range of sculptures for the campus.

Works

More photos

• sculpture

  • Three Athletes at State Gym

  • Fountain of the Four Seasons in front of the Memorial Union

  • Marriage Ring in front of McKay Hall

  • Library Boy and Girl in the ISU library

  • Saint Francis Xavier

Connections

He was married twice and had 3 sons.