Early Life, Family and Training
Arne Lærum enters the world on July 28, 1877, in Gjøvik, Norway. He is born to Ole Diderik Zacharias Severin Ottesen Lærum and Aurora Mathilde Olava Hovind. His path toward a life in paint is not immediate; he spends time in the rigid structures of the Krigsskolen and undergoes three years of legal studies in Kristiania before the pull of the brush takes hold.
The transition from law to art begins in 1899. He seeks out Christian Skredsvig in Eggedal to begin his formal instruction. By 1901, the focus shifts across the water to Copenhagen, where he studies under Kristian Zahrtmann. This period of formation continues in Kristiania at Harriet Backer's school. In 1906, his personal life and professional life intersect in Hvitsten; he marries the painter Borghild Røed Lærum.
The training intensifies in 1911. Lærum enters the Statens Kunstakademi, working under the guidance of Christian Krohg and Halfdan Strøm. He moves through these academic halls with a growing technical foundation, preparing for the shifts in style that await him beyond the Norwegian borders.
Artistic Training and Activity in Paris
Paris becomes a recurring center for Lærum’s development. Between 1912 and 1914, he enters the orbit of Fernand Léger and Maria Wasilieva, working in Wasilieva's atelier. This period of study is not a single stay but a series of returns. He returns to the city again from 1919 to 1921, this time studying under Pedro Araujo and André Lhote. His engagement with the Parisian art scene continues through a final period of study from 1926 to 1927.
The years between these French residencies see him back in Norway. In 1915, he studies at Statens Håndverks- og Kunstindustriskole in Kristiania under Oluf Wold-Torne. This movement between the academic structures of Kristiania and the studios of Paris defines his technical progression. His presence in France remains a constant throughout his career, eventually leading to the exhibition of Gate i Palaiseau, Frankrike in 1937.
