Knud Rasmussen’s Bust

Among the amendments proposed to the Finance Law of 1936-1937 was a request by Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning (1873-1942) to fund a life-size bust of the famous polar explorer, Knud Rasmussen (1879-1933). Carved from Greenland marble, the bust was executed by sculptor and violinmaker Niels Hansen (1869-1938) and offered to the Ministry of Greenland. Upon the recommendationof the director of the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK), Leo Swane, the value was set at 2,500 kroner, making this a rather modest amendment to a national budget of nearly 400 million.