Thorvald Hagedorn-Olsen started as a craftsman painter. Since 1926 he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in København and earlier in Paris. He mostly painted landscapes, having a preference for fjord scenes, and figure compositions. Hagedorn-Olsen preferred sober, harmonic colors (dark, heavy earth tones). As a sculptor, he often worked together with his son and ceramic artist Jeppe (1929-2011). Their best known mutual work is Vegetation og Tolerance, Opvågnen for a town hall in København. Thorvald Hagedorn-Olsen was listed among the most famous Danish artists.