Hans Christensen

Hans Jørgen Thorvald Christensen (1924-1983) was a Danish-born American master silversmith, metalsmith, jeweler, designer, and educator who taught at RIT's School for American Crafts for 29 years, until his untimely death in an automobile accident in 1983. Christensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and was educated at the School for Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen and the School for Arts and Crafts in Oslo, Norway, before coming to the United States. He began his career working for renowned Danish silversmith, Georg Jensen. In 1952, Christensen made his first visit to the United States representing Jensen's works at an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. He emigrated to the United States in 1954.

At RIT, he held the Charlotte Fredericks Mowris Professorship in Contemporary Crafts and was posthumously awarded the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching. Over the span of his career, Christensen completed numerous commissions including works for the Vatican, royal families of Europe and Iran, RIT, Xerox, and others. He was a member of the International Institute of Arts and Letters in Switzerland, the College of Fellows of the American Crafts Council, the Society of North American Goldsmiths, and the Nathaniel Rochester Society.