Thor Larsen, Principal Instructor and graduate of The Florence Academy of Art, has recently been commissioned to create a large-scale public sculpture depicting well-known and beloved characters from the Danish comedy film series ‘Olsen-banden’ or Olsen Gang.
These sculptures, three life-size figures of the main characters in the fictional criminal gang, Egon Olsen, Benny Frandsen, and Kjeld Jensen, will be erected in Valby Tingsted square in Valby, Copenhagen.
This location, in the heart of a neighborhood full of life and culture in the center of the city is also only a couple hundred meters away from the studios where the Olsen-banden films were made!
In this video Thor Larsen takes us through the history of obtaining this commission, and explains his thought process behind making the clay sculptures that will eventually be cast in bronze. He took detailed care to ensure that the figures represent the characters that are so well known from their 14 films, including depicting their personalities and quirks through their facial expressions and body language. Larsen also explains different tools and techniques used to create realistic and original works in clay.
Although there will only be one final edition of the three life-size figures in bronze, there is an incredible initiative to promote and help fund the project and for fans of the series to take a piece of it home with them.
In order to better conceptualize the figures in a visual sense, Larsen created macquettes of each character, and these macquettes, smaller-scaled 3d versions of the larger sculptures, will be cast in limited editions of 100 in resin and 8 in bronze and available to buy!
To learn more about Thor Larsen, this project, and to view his work please visit the links below:
Website: www.thorlarsen.net
Facebook: thorlarsensculptor
Instagram: @thor_sculp_thor
FAA Alumni Gallery: Thor Larsen
A special thanks to Henrik Hansen, project manager on the statues of Olsen Gang.
