Born in Guatemala to a Danish father and a German-Polish mother, Alfred Jensen spent his formative years in Europe and the United States. He studied at the San Diego Fine Arts School before moving to Munich to study under Hans Hofmann, eventually settling in New York City where he became a significant figure in the mid-century abstract art scene.

Jensen's signature style is defined by the use of dense, tactile impasto to render intricate grids of triangles, squares, and circles. His practice was deeply intellectual, often drawing upon color theory, cosmology, and ancient mathematical systems to structure his canvases, resulting in works that function as both visual art and conceptual diagrams.

Following his death in 1981, his legacy was solidified through major institutional recognition, most notably a comprehensive retrospective organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. This followed his earlier solo exhibition at the same institution in 1961, cementing his position within the history of 20th-century American abstraction.