Andersen was born in Bergen, Norway in 1872, and immigrated as an infant with his family to Newport, Rhode Island the following year.
As a young man in Newport, Andersen began his work as a sculptor and learned to mingle among the city’s wealthy elite, including serving as an art instructor for Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
In 1893, Andersen travelled to Europe to study art and eventually settled in Rome. Andersen died in Rome in 1940. The home has been renovated and now is a museum located at Via Pasquale Stanislao Mancini, 20 (piazzale Flaminio).