Born in Stege on the island of Møn, Braase was the son of the stonemason Christian Braase who introduced him to the art of stonework. As a 14-year-old, he crafted his first busts of family members. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1949 to 1954 under Einar Utzon-Frank and Aksel Jørgensen, becoming the assistant of Astrid Noack with whom he created small stone figures.
