Erik Hesselberg
| Erik Hesselberg | |
|---|---|
|
Erik Hesselberg | |
| Born |
June 4, 1914 Brevik |
| Died |
September 15, 1972 (aged 58) Larvik |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Occupation |
Painter Sculptor |
| Known for | Crew member on the Kon-Tiki |
| Children | 1 son and 2 daughters |
Erik Bryn Hesselberg (4 June 1914 – 15 September 1972) was a Norwegian sailor, author, painter, sculptor, and a crewmember of the Kon-Tiki raft expedition from South America to French Polynesia in 1947.
Biography
Erik Hesselberg was born on June 4, 1914, in Brevik, Telemark.[1] He grew up in Larvik, Vestfold. He knew Thor Heyerdahl from his childhood years. Having graduated from his secondary school, Erik Hesselberg went on to a sailors' school and later worked as a professional sailor for five years, making several trips around the world. Later Hesselberg studied art in Hamburg, Germany.
He stayed in Germany when the World War II began, so he could not return to Norway and started working as a decorator in Braunschweig. At the same time, he established contacts with the Norwegian resistance movement and was involved in several assignments. In 1945, he and his German wife, Liselotte (Liss) Güldner,[2] relocated to Lillehammer, Norway.[3]
Kon-Tiki expedition
In 1947, Hesselberg lived with his wife and a newborn daughter Anne Karin in small town Borre and worked as a painter. Thor Heyerdahl approached him and invited to become a navigator on the Kon-Tiki expedition.[4] During the trip, he worked as an astronavigator and cartographer as he was the only professional sailor. Also, he drew sketches, carved wooden statuettes, and played guitar. He painted the large Kon-Tiki figure on the raft's main sail.
Later years
After the expedition, Hesselberg wrote his only book Kon-Tiki and I and illustrated it. The book was published in Norway in 1949 by the publishing company Dreyers Vorlag. The book was translated into 15 languages.
He built his own sail ship, also named Kon-Tiki and traveled from Norway to France. Hesselberg lived on his ship for 11 years in such places as Cote d'Azure, Corsica, Italy, while working as a sculptor and painter. Among his friends were Pablo Picasso, George Simenon, Jean Cocteau, and Carl Nesjar.
Later, he sold his ship and lived in the United States, Germany, and Sweden, until his final return in 1969–1970 to Larvik, a town of his childhood.
Hesselberg died in Larvik on September 15, 1972, aged 58, of a heart condition, and was buried there. He left many photographic pictures, graphic works, sculptures, and more than 200 songs for guitar.
He was married several times and had three children: daughter Anne Karin Hesselberg (b. 1946),[5] son Caelou (b. 1958), and daughter Susanna (b. 1967).
Book
- Hesselberg, Erik (1994). Kon-Tiki and I. Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-153-02255-8.
References
External links
The Kon-Tiki Expedition of 1947 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Crewmembers |  | |
| Documentation | ||
| Related articles | ||