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Per Lysne (December 8, 1880 – September 21, 1947) was a Norwegian-American artist most associated with bringing the traditional Norwegian folk art of Rosemaling to the United States.
Biography
Per A. Lysne was born on the Ljøsne farm in Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. He had been trained in rosemaling by Anders Olsen, an artist whose work was recognized at the Exposition Universelle at Paris in 1893. Lysne immigrated to Stoughton, Wisconsin with his wife in 1907. He specialized in redecorating antique chests and painting large platters. He developed a thriving rosemaling enterprise and taught the art to a select few. His signature piece, the smorgasbord plate, was not an object that typically had been decorated, but Lysne's new form had a pervasive influence.
The Stoughton Historical Museum has an exhibit devoted to Lysne's work. The Per Lysne Collection is maintained at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.
Other sources
- The Fathers of American Decorative Painting (The Decorative Arts Collection. Gretchen Cagle Publications, Inc.)
- Benedict, Claus Matthias (ed) (2012) Per Lysne (Phon) ISBN 9786138768371