Filosoffen, professor Rasmus Nielsen 1866

Here we have H.W. Bissen’s 65.7cm high bronze bust of ‘Filosoffen, professor Rasmus Nielsen’ displayed at the SMK. Bissen, a prominent sculptor of the Danish Golden Age, created this piece during a time of significant national and intellectual ferment. The bust captures Nielsen, a philosopher and professor, with a contemplative expression. Bissen’s choice to depict Nielsen reflects the cultural values of the time, which celebrated intellectual and academic achievement. During the Golden Age in Denmark there was a growing sense of national identity, and the bust captures not just an individual, but a symbol of Danish intellectual pride. The bronze medium, and the classical style in which Bissen was trained, lend the sculpture a sense of timelessness, elevating Nielsen to the status of a classical thinker. However, as we consider the historical context, it’s crucial to ask: whose stories were considered worthy of such immortalization, and whose were not? The bust prompts us to reflect on the power structures inherent in representation and the selective nature of historical memory.