Born in
Sønderborg in the south of
Jutland, Hansen attended the Technical School in
Odense before studying painting under
Aksel Jørgensen at the
Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1950 to 1954. He travelled to Italy on a study trip in 1951 and went to France, Spain and North Africa in 1953. His work in the 1950s was inspired by Jørgensen and
Erik Hoppe, leading to dark earthy tones though his landscapes tended towards shades of red and orange. During his trip to France, he became particularly interested in the works of
Georges Braque and
van Gogh, inducing him to develop a Neo-impressionist approach to his work. In the 1960s, he moved to Odsherred where he associated with
Karl Bovin and the Odsherred Painters. His landscapes became brighter while he began to adopt a
pointillist style. Many of his works contain motifs such as clowns, skulls, masks and boats, all covered in a naturalistic mode, sometimes approaching a non-figurative style. Carstensen has also worked with stained glass mosaics (for example in the theatre in Sønderborg) as well as an illustrator. Carstensen became a member of
Grønningen in 1958,
Corner in 1970 and Koloristerne in 1992. ==Awards==