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Director Thor Jensen (1863 - 1947)
Thor (Philip Axel) Jensen was born in Copenhagen to carpenter Jens Chr. Jensen and his wife, Andrea Louise, born Martens. As a teenager he was sent to Borðeyri in the north of Iceland to complete his commercial studies. He quickly gained insight into local trade and the fishing industry, especially commercial fishing and launched a number of ventures which in time contributed significantly to Iceland's industrialization. In 1920s he built the country's largest modern dairy on his farm, Korpúlfsstaðir on the outskirts of Reykjavík. Today it houses a number of artists' workshops. Among Thor Jensen's descendants are some of Iceland's most prominent businessmen, bankers and politicians, e.g. late Prime Minister Ólafur Thors. Writer Thor Vilhjálmsson was Thor Jensen's grandson. Sigurjón Ólafsson executed portrait busts of both Thor Jensen and his wife, Margrét Þorbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, in their home during the summer of 1938, when the artist was on leave in Iceland. Sculptor Sigurjón Ólafsson and his Portraits Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum 2008, ISBN 978-87-88755-05-03 |