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Knud Nellemose, 1978

About the work

The bronze sculpture in front of Idrættens Hus (the House of Sports) depicts a naked athlete who appears to be playing football. This sculpture is a repetition of one of two figures that are part of the sculpture group Boldspillere, which was unveiled in front of KB-Hallen in Copenhagen in 1976.

This sculpture was purchased for the amount collected from citizens and was originally meant for the construction of the House of Sports. The sculpture was unveiled in front of the building in 1978.

The artist Knud Nellemose began his career as a magazine illustrator and sports journalist. He was fascinated by motifs from the world of sports and made large-scale sculptures of boxers, football players and athletes, initially inspired by Kai Nielsen, but later in a more personal, naturalistic style.

This sculpture makes it possible to sense the artist’s background as a sports journalist, and how he has observed football players and their sliding tackles.

 

About the artist

Knud Nellemose was a sculptor and trained in the years 1927-1933 at the Academy of Fine Arts, with Einar Utzon-Frank as his teacher. Knud Nellemose produced an extensive body of works in stone and bronze, and many of them can be seen in a public context, such as the statues of Søren Kierkegaard and B.S. Ingemann (1972 and 1988, at Marmorkirken in Copenhagen) as well as several groups of football players. Numerous models for his many portrait busts were well-known Danes.

NB: The sculpture is temporarily decorated with a scarf and hat in yellow knit, in connection to Tour de France on July 3rd 2022.

Kort over Vejle midtby

Sculp­ture guide

The sculpture guide provides you with an overview on some of the sculptures there is to be found in Vejle. Go for a walk downtown and experience the art.

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