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Hans Skalagard / Hanus Skálagarð (born 1924) is described as a “living legend” by art critics, and is regarded as one of the world's leading nautical artists.

Hans Skalagard was born on the island of Skúvoy in the Faroe Islands. He began drawing at the age of 8, and at the age of 13 began to carry on the family’s seafaring tradition, becoming an apprentice seaman on a two masted fishing schooner. Later he joined the United States Merchant Marine. During the course of his 22-years career as a merchant sailor, he served aboard more than 50 ships. Survived the sinking of three naval ships during World War II and crossed the North Atlantic 33 times. He also sailed the Merchant Marine during the Korean War.

Hans Skalagard had initially moved to the United States in 1943 but returned to Denmark after the war to study at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. There he studied with the marine painter, Anton Otto Fisher.

Later he moved back to the States and became an American citizen in 1955. He married Mignon Diana, his lifelong companion and business partner.

His art is characterised as realism. Hans Skalagard seeks to paint the truth about the sea, including its dark and turbulent moods. He is well-known for his historically accurate paintings filled with realistic detail. Among his subjects are galleons and other square-rigged ships—including naval ships like the USS Constitution and other battleships, and clippers and cruiser ships as well. It’s his fascination with details that resonates so well with viewers. Giving meticulous treatment to rigging, sails and the character of the ships, he painstakingly captures events at sea.

He has had numerous one man shows both in the United States and in Europe. His paintings are hung in many public buildings. Examples of such locations include the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California, the Los Angeles County Maritime Museum, the Allen Knight Maritime Museum and galleries in Norway, Denmark and his native Faroe Islands. His paintings are owned by admirals and collectors world over.