Rudolf Thygesen was a visual artist born in 1880. He grew up in a prosperous home in Kristiania. His Danish father came to Norway to study trade, and his mother came from Celle in the kingdom of Hanover. In the summer of 1899 he was a student at Christian Skredsvig's open-air studio at Berg in Eggedal. From that same autumn and the following two years, he was a student at Harriet Backers school, and then at Kristian Zahrtmann's school in Copenhagen from 1901–1902.

     The artist traveled to Paris in 1906 where he spent time with other Norwegian artists Oluf Wold-Torne, Henrik Sørensen, Jean Heiberg and Severin Grande. In 1907 he exhibited with De ungas (The Young Ones), showing six of his works. In the summer of 1908 the artist was in Lillehammer, together with Henrik Sørensen and Einar Sandberg, and in February 1909 the three held an exhibition together at the Christiania Art Association. Thygesen also studied at the Royal School of Drawing in 1907 and from 1908–1909.

     In 1910, unlike many of his artist friends who enrolled at Académie Matisse, he instead became a student at Académie Colarossi. During his studies he visited galleries and museums, yet through his time with the Matisse students he undoubtedly gained insight into the master's teaching and his art.

     Thygesen's first solo exhibition was at the Kunstnerforbundet (the Artists' Association) in January 1912. Concurrently was being shown works by the Matisse students. This secured him a solid position as one of the pioneers in the struggle against naturalism. From 1912–1913 he traveled to Italy and Germany. At the anniversary exhibition at Frogner in 1914, he exhibited with the Matisse students and other breakaway artists in the De 14s pavilion. From 1919–1920 Thygesen was a student of André Lhote in Paris.

     From the 1930s onward he painted large symphonies of color where the motifs were man in nature in a mood of harmony and joy of life. He held prominent postitions in art circles including Deputy Member of the supervisory board Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo from 1931–1932 and a member from 1933–1942, a member of the council and purchasing committee for the National Gallery from 1934–1937, and deputy from 1937–1940, and Chairman of The Permanent Jury 1937–1940.

     The artist held exhibitions at Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin and Lillehammer Art Museum. In 1950 Kunstnernes Hus held a retrospective exhibition by Rudolph Thygesen that included 115 paintings by the artist dating from 1904–1949. He is represented  in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, Stenersenmuseet in Oslo, the TKM Gramolna Trondheim Kunstmuseum, and Lillehammer City's painting collection.