Arne Kühlmann Hansen (1939-2017) received his training as an engraver in
England in the 1960s. The National Bank of Denmark was his sponsor and after
his studies, he came to work there, being involved in the nation’s banknote
design.
In 1974, Kühlmann Hansen engraved his first stamp: a single
value marking the centenary of the Tivoli Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen. Even
though he has since engraved a huge number of stamps, it still remains one of
his favourites, and he thinks it is among the best ones he’s ever done.
In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Kühlmann Hansen was the sole
Danish engraver, being supported on an occasional basis by other Scandinavian
engravers. During that time he was responsible for two long-running Danish
definitives with the portrait of Queen Margrethe. In 1982, he engraved the
stamp designed by Lisbeth Gasparski, which remained in circulation until 1990.
Ten years later, in 2000, he engraved his second definitive, a design by R.
Mydtskov, which again was used for nearly a decade.
Kühlmann Hansen once said that when he engraved a stamp, he
would mainly think about philatelists; they who collect, love and preserve the
stamp. They deserve the best possible quality.
His final offering to stamp collectors was a rather impressive
miniature sheet issued in 2006, celebrating the centenary of the New Carlsberg
Glyptotek, an art museum in Copenhagen, which was founded by the son of the man
who founded the famous breweries.
You will find Arne Kühlmann Hansen's database HERE.