Art Archives

Henie Onstad Art Center

Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is a leading venue for modern and contemporary art, situated at Høvikodden, 15 minutes west of Oslo. Henie Onstad opened in 1968 and was made possible by a generous donation from art collectors Sonja Henie and Niels Onstad. Located in scenic surroundings, Henie Onstad includes 3500 m2 of exhibition space, Henie Onstad Lab, meeting rooms, a museum shop and a cafe.

The art center hosts temporary exhibitions as well as the Henie Onstad collection, which includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Beuys, Christo and famous Norwegian artists such as Weidemann. Henie Onstad also has the permanent installation, ‘Hymn of life’, by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The art center is also home to figure skater Sonja Henie's fantastic collection of medals and prizes.

Guided group tours are available all year round – contact booking@hok.no.

Artistic Profile

Henie Onstad Kunstsenter was established in 1968 as a donation of the collectors Sonja Henie and Niels Onstad. The choice of "Kunstsenter," rather than "museum," was deliberate, signaling that Henie Onstad was to be not only a keeper of a strong modern European collection, but also a producer of experimental art.

Today Henie Onstad is one of Norway's leading institutions for the Norwegian and International art scene. The Kunstsenter is an active arena for debate and social critique, with a broad commitment to the arts and its audience. Its expertise, collections and historical identity lie in the interdisciplinary field, with special emphasis on the relationship between art, sound, performance and the historical avant-garde.

The Collection

Since its establishment in 1968, The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter collection has grown substantially. From the approximately 300 works at the grand opening, the collection now includes over 4,000 works of art.

This inventory ranges from a core collection of modernist works (dates 1920-1960), to special collections related to the Fluxus and COBRA movements, as well as the works comprising the sculpture park and the contemporary works acquired in the past 20 years.

Henie Onstad manages several large collections deposited or on loan from the DNB Bank Foundation, as well as private collectors Inger and Andreas L. Riis, and Erling Neby. Henie Onstad frequently lends works from its collections to important international museums. Additionally, Henie Onstad manages a large archive, containing documents and photographs related to exhibition and performance history, and a collection of artists books. The Henie Onstad archive is of particular value because of the art center's long history of musical and performance art productions and its progressive interdisciplinary exhibition history.

Henie Onstad

Sculpture Park

The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is located in the beautiful park and recreation area of Høvikodden on the Oslo fjord peninsula, surrounded by public trails, wharfs and shorelines. Our sculptures have close ties to Henie Onstad's exhibition history and are responsive to this scenic setting.

Towering at the sculpture park's entrance is Arnold Haukeland's Sun Sculpture from 1970. The sculpture was commissioned by Niels Onstad in memory of Sonja Henie. The park also houses the sculptures Jordkrefter, Runes and Nattens fugl by Haukeland.

Live program

With its annual concert series, Henie Onstad presents a vast lineup of concerts, performances and presentations with established and emerging musicians and artists.

Combining a strong exhibition program with a focus on music, dance and performance has been, and remains, a central part of Henie Onstad's profile. This original vision—of preserving the past, present and future art through dynamic and interdisciplinary activities—has continued to influence the Kunstsenter since its opening in 1968. Henie Onstad regularly partners with Ny Musikk, All Ears, The Ultima Festival, and NOTAM and is an important exhibition space for experimental performance arts and music.

Combine your visit to Henie Onstad with a nice lunch in the restaurant Piruetten, a stroll along the coastal path – a favourite among the locals – and a break by the beach overlooking the sunbathers and the nautic life at sea. Enjoy.

Easy acces from Oslo by public transport bus 160 to Henie Onstad Seniorsenter. Schedule at www.ruter.no

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Holmsbu Art Gallery – Henrik Sørensen collection

You are almost there before a massive wall of red granite rises towards you, as if it is growing out of the pile of stones. Holmsbu Art Museum's collection consists mainly of works by the three Holmsbu painters Henrik Sørensen, Thorvald Erichsen and Oluf Wold-Torne.
Over 50 summers, from 1911 to 1961, over 40 of Norway's foremost artists set up easels and canvases in this area. Oluf Wold-Torne was the first to discover Holmsbu, and invited his friends Thorvald Erichsen and Henrik Sørensen to visit. Soon they gathered around them both visual artists and other cultural figures who spent their summers here. In changing weather and light and with different forms of expression, they found motifs in the closed forest – and down by the Drammensfjord on the other side of Rødtangveien. The old oak by the parking lot has been depicted countless times by both Sørensen and the other artists. When a Norwegian-American who returned home wanted to cut it down to get a better view, there was an uproar in the local community. The oak was eventually protected, and is now over 300 years old.
The collection in the gallery shows Henrik Sørensen's art, and how he developed motifs and expression throughout his long artistic life. In addition, the two other founders of the artist colony are represented: Oluf Wold-Torne and Thorvald Erichsen. There are many motifs from the Holmsbunaturen, but also portraits, social-realist motifs with a pacifist undertone, and religious motifs.
When Henrik Sørensen died in 1962, his son Sven Oluf had the idea of building a gallery for his father's art. The local community pitched in: Over ten years, skilled craftsmen and ordinary volunteers with solid muscles laid stone upon stone until the award-winning gallery building designed by architect Bjart Mohr opened in 1973. Hurum granite was extracted from cairns that were here before construction began, and the building was positioned so that it would not require intervention in nature. The building was awarded the Houens Fonds Diploma in 1979 and is protected by the Norwegian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
Sven Oluf Sørensen himself often quoted Auguste Renoir: "A painting must be seen under the sky that vaulted over the artist." The picture gallery he built in Holmsbu is located in the middle of the motif itself.
Regular tours, lectures, forest walks, courses, workshops, concerts and author talks are held during the season.
Henrik Sørensen and the "Holmsbu painters" have also decorated the colorful church in Holmsbu, also referred to as the artist's church. It is well worth a visit when you are planning a trip to Holmsbu.

Martin Whatson Street Art in Greater Oslo

COLORING THE STREETS IN GREATER OSLO

Discover amazing street art around in Greater Oslo done by Martin Whatson. Go and explore the art yourself!

Martin Whatson has painted several walls around the Oslo region in correlation with a project called SPRAY. You will find one of his pieces in this project at lille smuget in Asker. The town center is only a short walk from the train station. Whatson has also done a piece at Bekkestua elementary school.

Check out the SPRAY video here

In Jessheim Whatson and Eric Ness Christiansen have done a huge piece together. To get to the art simply take the bus or train to Jessheim station. From there walk across the parking lot to Henrik Bulls vei. You can see Whatson's work finishing the piece on each sides of the road.

Martin Whatson (b.1984) is a Norwegian street artist best known for his calligraphic scribbles in grayscale voids. Over the past decade, Martin has developed an unmistakable aesthetic combining abstract movement with figurative stencilled compositions. His works can be seen to mirror the rise and fall of the streets, as he symbolically recreates the urban environment, then vandalises it to reveal his vibrant transformations. Read more about Whatson

Information from Visit Greater Oslo

Galleri Würth

Galleri Würth opened in 2003 as a non-profit art gallery exhibiting one of the largest privately owned art collections in Europe; the German based Würth Collection. The collection focuses on European and American art, primarily painting, prints and sculpture, from the 20th And 21st centuries. Some of the artists in the collection are Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Roy Lichtenstein, Anselm Kiefer and Edvard Munch, to name a few.

The exhibition program changes approximately twice a year and rotates the 15 associated galleries in Europe within the Würth Group.

Galleri Würth offers free entrance every day, in addition to free parking. The gallery has a small café with refreshments and a museum shop.

Free guided tours given in Norwegian every Sunday at 13.00. (Except during july 2025)

Please visit our website www.wuerth.no/galleri for further information about our exhibition and opening hours.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

“Wolf” by Skule Waksvik

Skule Waksvik was the most popular sculptor of his time in Norway. In addition to large memorials and female nudes and portraits, his range of subjects consisted primarily of animal representations. No-one else has created more animal sculptures than him, and no-one has created more different animals.

Gift to Kongsvinger municipality in connection with the town's 150th anniversary in 2004, donated by Sparebanken Hedmark.

Art at Quality Hotel Olavsgaard

Quality Hotel Olavsgaard is a major player in the conference and course market in the Oslo region. To symbolize that conferences and courses are about knowledge transfer, Olavsgaard has used books as the overarching theme throughout the hotel. The collection comprises over 25,000 books, freely available to everyone.

As an extension of the book collection, the hotel has also started an art collection of visual art based on the written word. Currently, the hotel is adorned with 12 different art collections.

The main staircase of the hotel is adorned with 18 charcoal drawings by artist Kari Grasmo. The drawings are based on the semi-documentary novel "Drømmen og Hjulet" (The Dream and the Wheel) by Jens Bjørneboe.

"Lysthuset" and "Stue 3" in the restaurant feature 6 paintings by artist Jon Bøe Paulsen based on "Et dukkehjem " by Henrik Ibsen.

In all our hotel rooms, the artist Vigdis Fjellheim has painted 365 paintings, also documented in the book "Funnet, utvalgt og utplassert," subtitled 182 Travelers – 182 Shifts. Additionally, she has painted a "unifying" picture adorning our meeting room Valhall in the conference center.

The walls of the hotel corridor leading to the conference center feature the words of Ari Behn and the paintings of Unni Askeland in their collaborative project AU. Initially intended as a project solely for the Literature Festival in Lillehammer in 2011, it now has a permanent place here with us.

At the entrance to the conference center hangs "Kunstmappen Bagasje" by Nicolaus Widerberg and Lars Saabye Christensen. This is the first collaborative project between Nico Widerberg and Lars Saabye Christensen. The folder consists of lithographic prints by Nico and poems by Lars.

The artist Jørn Kaasa leaves his mark on our second staircase, including his Madonna prints related to the book "Lengselens røtter" wrritten by the same artist.

"Kongen tenker" by Dag Hol is a series of charcoal drawings of well-known Viking personalities. These fantastic drawings can be found in our banquet hall – Olavsalen.

One of the rooms in our restaurant has had the pleasure of housing Elling Reitan's colorful paintings. Based on Knut Hamsun's novel "Victoria," the artist has created magical paintings in vibrant colors where the text is part of the painting itself.

The decoration of our main restaurant, Vinterhagen, has been painted by Nico Widerberg with 4 unique paintings commissioned by the hotel. These are based on Tarjei Vesaas' novel "Is-slottet"

In the hotel's common area on the floor below the reception, the artist Mona Orstad Hansen – commissioned by the hotel – has painted 3 paintings based on Jan Erik Vold's poems "I vektens tegn" Here you will also find a statue by Nico Widerberg.

The hotel also features outdoor art. In the backyard, guests with rooms facing the facade of the Lysthuset can enjoy the sight of KokkoArt's abstract street art symbolizing Olavsgaard as the hub we are. Centrally located with roads leading to us and then taking you further.

The hotel's most recent art project adorns our new bar, Holger. Commissioned by the hotel, Kaja Norum paints 7 paintings based on Per Petterson's novel "Ut å stjæle hester." The project is not yet complete as 2 paintings are still pending for the collection.

Welcome to our art hotel!

Oslofjord Art Center

Welcome to the Oslofjord Art Centre!

This cozy gallery is located 30 minutes south of Oslo in the idyllic artist town of Drøbak. Current exhibitions with established and also new talented contemporary artists are shown here. The gallery has a great love for painting as a medium, but other artistic expressions will also find a place in the gallery. Oslofjorden Art Center wants to present breadth and variety so that the public gets to know the unique language of art.

Painting courses for both adults and children

Oslofjorden Art Center also organizes a number of different painting courses and art events for both children and adults throughout the year. The courses are held by visual artist Elisabeth Frøberg, who also owns and runs the gallery.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Art experiences in the region of Lillestrøm

A short distance from Lillestrøm station you will find a selection of works of art!

Elvebredden Art Park with its 11 works of outside sculpture and art – creates experiences and impressions along the Nitelva in Lillestrøm and the Sagelva in Sagdalen. It is owned and operated by Lillestrøm municipality.

few minutes from the train station you will find Nitja – center for contemporary art, which is one of Akershus places for contemporary art.

Changing exhibitions mean that you can experience many different artists and works of art throughout the year.

There is also a café at the center if you fancy a coffe break.Within 2 minutes of walk you head toward the art gallery Studio Oscar – here you can see different exhibition and buy som pieces of art. After this you can an take the trip to Blaker Skanse – which functioned as a small fortress" and defense in the period from 1683-1894 – and was built as a defense against the Swedes.

Today it is an art haven where many artists today have their workshops and studios in the area, and there is also a gallery and a café here.

On this tour you can also take the trip to Guttormsgard Archives – Blaker Meieri – which reflects a particular interest in alternative storytelling, artistic publishing and experimental communication.

When Guttorm Guttormsgaard wanted "a more generous and spacious history of art", it was both about what the concept of art should include and about how art could be communicated in the most vivid way possible to a diverse audience.

You can choose whether you want to take the train to/from Blaker station (Kongsvingerbanen) or whether you want to drive.

Travel tips: Take the train to Lillestrøm – after the tour in the city you can take the Kongsvingerbanen to Blaker for Blaker Skanse and Blaker Dairy The trip can also be done by car.

Magnor Glassverk

We are continuously working to create new designs and products.

Together with some of the most skilled and exciting designers and craftsmen in Norway today, we create magic!

More information see www.magnor.no

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

The old town in Kongsvinger

Here you find small, charming shops and a cafè. And lots of history. There is also three museums here.

A part of the town, full of history and charm
Kongsvinger’s oldest part consists of big offiser’s houses and small soldier houses from the 1700 and 1800. Here are also the distinguished trade houses of the city’s two priviliged village shop keepers. This part of the city grew up from Kongsvinger fortress and down – nearest to the fortress is the 1700- year’s part, and down under is the 1800-year’s part.

A “living” old town with nice stores, a small cafè and markets
In June every year, «Liv i Leiren» is arranged, a market with market stands, food and entertainment, and the first weekend in Advent, there is «Christmas market in The old town “Øvrebyen».

Jonas Lie’s street
This is the childhood street of Erik Werenskiold, who grew up as a son of a commander at the fortress. The female piano player Erika Lie Nissen and her sister Thomasine Lie also grew up here. Thomasine married her cousin Jonas Lie, and they lived the first years in the old town – Øvrebyen. The city therefore has a “real” Jonas Lies street named after the author – the street where he actually lived.

An antiquarian part of Kongsvinger with the fortress and musèes
“Øvrebyen” was protected as antiquarian special area in 1975 to keep the character. This part of the city is a living museum area, «framed» by Kongsvinger fortress, Kongsvinger museum and the Women’s museum.

Order a guided walk in Øvrebyen
If you want to get better aquinted with the history of the old town, make a reservation at Kongsvinger museum.