Schweigaards gate 88

This is Schweigaards gate (street) number 88, where you'll find a small art gallery. It can be rented by artists who would like to display their art.

I was there to take a look at the exhibition "X" by Maria Gjerpe.

You may remember her photo "Lovely winter day" from January this year.

Photo by: Lothiane

Para Haiti

Another guest photographer! sNapaRt visited Oslo together with Man8os last winter. I think this photo is really beautiful.

Ice sculpture for Haiti's victims. Oslo, winter 2010.

Photo by: sNapArt at deviantArt

New piece of art outside the opera house

The piece is called 'Hun ligger' (She Lies) by Monica Bonvicini.

The sculpture is 12 meter tall and weighs 335 tons (the sculpture alone is 35 tons, then the pontoon/float weighs 300 tons).

- She Lies is meant to be a monument about change, longing and hope. A monument about construction: its beauty and its implicit visions, the beauty of the un-done as a permanent state of change . (Monica Bonvicini)

According to the artist, she has "translated" the painting 'Das Eismeer' (1823-24) by Caspar David Friedrich.

The sculpture will be properly unveiled by the Norwegian Queen Sonja, on Tuesday May 11th 2010.




Photos by: Lothiane

Large Arch - Henry Moore

This piece of art can be seen at the beach called Huk at Bygdøy in Oslo. It's called Large Arch and was made by Henry Moore, an English sculptor.

Thank you Anne-Sophie at Ordinary Oslo, for letting us use her photo!

Ibsen quotes

Henrik Ibsen, 20 March 1828–23 May 1906 was one of Norway's most famous authors ever. His writing has inspired a street artwork: From Arbins gate (Arbin's street) to the Grand hotel (where Ibsen lived and where he used to eat), you can find famous quotes from his plays.

This one says: Evigt ejes kun det tabte which translates into something like "Only that which is lost remains eternal".

Photo by: Stormel

Interferens - a memorial

This is from Bygdøy in Oslo, where this piece of art called "Interferens" is placed there as a memorial for all the tsunami victims in December 2004.

The sculpture is made by John Audun Hauge in 2007 after a competition on behalf of the Norwegian government.

Photos by: Lothiane

Look up

This is a detail from inside the art gallery 'Kunstnernes Hus' which I've showed you earlier. The balcony is just a corridor from one art room to another. The people are looking into a smaller room where a film is being showed. I like how the walls and ceiling are painted. :)

Photo by: Lothiane

Light from above

The art gallery 'Kunstnernes Hus' may seem like a boring building outside, but inside are hidden treasures. I loved this sight when I walked up the stairs to the second floor.

Photo by: Lothiane

A car of shoes

Juan Andres Milanes (Cuba): The Route.

Another picture from the The National Annual Autumn Exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus.

Photo by: Lothiane

Contemporary art

Mona Nordaas: Transformation Games.

Yesterday I showed you a picture of the art gallery 'Kunstnernes Hus' and told you about The National Annual Autumn Exhibition, or 'Høstutstillingen' as it's called in Norwegian. I usually visit every year, since it's interesting to see what they show there. This is from my visit last week. I'll show you some more in the days to come. :-)

Photo by: Lothiane

Kunstnernes Hus

This building, Kunstnernes hus (The Artists' House), is an art gallery close to the Royal Palace. Every autumn there is an exhibition called The National Annual Autumn Exhibition, or 'Høstutstillingen' as it's called in Norwegian.

Høstutstillingen is a celebration of contemporary art and first started out as a radical protest against "the established bourgeoisie" that dominated the art environment in Oslo in the late 1800's. Since then they have had annual exhibitions, except for the years 1941-1944 due to WWII.

Photo by: Lothiane

Solid artwork

A modern sculpture stands outside the office of the Prime Minister.

Back on the wall

The famous paintings by Edvard Munch (1863-1944); Skrik (The Scream) and Madonna are finally back on the walls in the Munch museum in Oslo. After they were stolen and missing for over 2 years, conservation specialists have worked at restoring the paintings since August 2006. The paintings are now in an exhibition at the Munch Museum, lasting until September 26th.

Together with Mark Wilkinson, I went to the Munch Museum a few days ago to see the exhibition of Scream/Madonna and other paintings by Norway's most famous painter.

Some of you commented on the background for Munch painting The Scream. First of all, Munch's life and art were greatly influenced by the suffering and death he experienced in near family when he was a child; both his mother and one sister died of tuberculosis and Edvard Munch was himself often sick in his childhood. This quote explains in Munch's own words what inspired him to paint The Scream:

I was walking along the road with two friends.
The sun was setting,
and I began to be afflicted with a sense of melancholy.
Suddenly the sky became blood-red.
I stopped and leaned against a fence, feeling dead-tired,
and stared at the flaming clouds that hung, like blood and a sword,
over the blue-black fjord and the city.
My friends walked on.
I stood riveted, trembling with fright.
And I felt a loud, unending scream piercing nature.
(Edvard Munch 1892)

Below Ekebergåsen, where he was walking, there was (and still is) a mental asylum. He might have heard one of the patients scream, but that is just a guess.


The version of the Madonna in the Munch Museum is painted on canvas and is dated 1893-94. There are four additional painted versions of the image. The National Gallery Oslo and the Hamburger Kunsthalle each have one, while two are in private collections. In 1895 Munch made a lithographic version of Madonna, with a decorative frame depicting spermatozoa and an embryo. Several poetic texts related to Madonna underscore the intimate relationship between love and death:

...Now life is shaking hands with death
The chain that binds together the thousand generations
of dead with the thousand generations yet to be born
has been tied...

When the paintings were found after being missing for 2 years, the concerns were whether the two paintings were severely damaged. Luckily they were in "better shape" than feared. Mark and I discussed what Munch would have thought of the theft of his paintings and the damages done to them. It's of course impossible to know, but Mark sent me these quotes and thoughts in an email:

No more interiors should be painted, no people reading and women knitting. They should be living people who breathe, feel, suffer and love. (From Munch's diary 1889)

Munch's paintings were also to have life, to feel and to suffer. He would paint outdoors at all times of the year at his home in Ekely, in an outdoor studio. Finished paintings were hung on the walls there and left out unprotected. He said his paintings could only improve by that sort of treatment.

Oh well, that will be all right when it has stood there for a while and has had time to mature. The colours live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas. Some reconcile themselves to one another, others just clash, and then they go together either to per­dition or to eternal life. Just wait until they have weathered a few showers of rain, a few scratches with nails, or something of the sort, and have knocked about all over the world in every kind of miserable, battered, and far from air- or water-tight packing case. Oh yes, that will turn out all right ... when it has developed a few slight flaws it will be quite presentable.

I think, therefore, that any sentiment regarding the damage done to the stolen paintings is quite unfounded. In some ways I think Munch would have been happy that the paintings have now had an added injection of life.

The Munch Museum
Munch biography
Munch quotes
The recovery of the Munch paintings

Sculptures at Bærums verk

I really love these sculptures, but unfortunately I don't know the name of the artist. Still, I hope you'll enjoy this photo from Bærums verk.

Glassblower

A while back I went to Bærums verk with my family. It used to be an iron work, but now it's a place for arts and crafts, restaurants and exhibitions.

While there, we saw some glassblowers in action and I took these photos of one of them. It must be really hard and warm work!

In the shop next door you can buy some of the glass art they're making, but unfortunately it was closed the day we were there.

Astrup Fearnley Museum for Modern Art

Today, I went to the Astrup Fearnley museum for modern art. The exhibition "Lights On" shows contemporary art by up and coming Norwegian artists. I think it was a great and interesting exhibition that I would really recommend to anyone visiting Oslo these days. The admission is free, what can be better than that?

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is a private contemporary art museum that produces temporary exhibitions of international art. We welcome the public to an exciting exhibition program, which include the greatest names in the international arena of art.

Sun Worshippers

A friend of mine just mentioned something I've never thought of: Norwegians tend to always lift their face towards the sun. That's probably because we don't see it as much as we'd like.

These sculptured birds (by Finn Hald, a fantastic artist) look like they really enjoy the sunshine. Luckily, we still have nice, sunny days. :-)

The Guard

This is one of the charming and wonderful sculptures by Finn Hald. It guards the entrance to Galleri Borg, the gallery where most of Finn Hald's art is shown.

The Gallery

This is what you'll see first when you visit Galleri Borg (gallery Borg). The salamander letters are made by Finn Hald, a well-known sculptor who makes wonderful art. I love the salamander alphabet, the colour is great - especially with the bench underneath.

Galleri Borg is the gallery where we have a photo exhibition for the next three weeks.

The photo is taken by my 11 year old son.

Close up:

Please wait...

Another statue from an Aker Brygge restaurant. This young lady is ready to serve you something cold to drink.