Jørgen Haugen Sørensen was born on 3 October, 1934, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is one of the most distinguished Danish sculptors, even though he has spent most of life abroad, mainly in France and Italy, and developed a style that is quite different from that of his Danish contemporaries. He started sculpting when he was fifteen. He attended a design school in Copenhagen, however, he is self-taught as a sculptor. In 1951, he had an exhibition at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. In 1969, he received the Eckersberg Medal, and in 1979 the Thorvaldsen Medal, both awarded for artistic achievements by the Royal Danish Academy of Art. Apart from Denmark, he has also held exhibitions in Sweden, Italy, France, the Netherland, and the USA. He designed public memorials in several European cities.