Gustav Vigeland would have celebrated his 150th birthday this year. He may not be around to mark the occasion but that’s not stopping Oslo authorities from pulling out all the stops to remember Norway’s greatest sculptor.
The Vigeland installation at Frogner Park is one of the most popular free tourist attractions in Scandinavia. More than a million visitors make the trip to see his sculptures in the leafy suburbs of Oslo every year. The funny thing is, it was never supposed to exist.
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While Oslo’s downtown today has its fair share of statues, it could easily have looked very different. That’s because although the City of Oslo commissioned the park’s famous sculptures, they were originally intended for the downtown area. The fountain was planned for Eidsvoll plass in front of the Norwegian Parliament, while the 46ft-tall monolith should have towered above Oslo Central Station on Jernbanetorget square.
Vigeland beyond his park
Because Vigeland and his helpers were so prolific, the city instead decided to place the fountain – and eventually everything else – in open parkland outside Vigeland’s studio. That studio today is the Vigeland Museum, skipped by many of the park’s visitors. That’s a mistake at any time but especially so this year when it plays host to the anniversary celebrations.
At their center is Parallels, a temporary exhibition designed to highlight Vigeland’s art from before the epic Vigeland Park project began. He was determined to become a sculptor from a young age, and had begun exhibiting work by the time he turned 20.
The exhibition also consists of works from Vigeland’s French and Belgian colleagues, including Rodin, Maillol, Meunier, Bourdelle and Barye. Jarle Strømodden, museum director, told Scan Magazine that they are artists Vigeland worked with and learned from. “We aim to show the early period of his artistic life, convened with the works of distinctive sculptors in the rest of Europe at the time, with an emphasis on form, expression and style. Vigeland’s works were most certainly on par with the best of his time, and this exhibition will hopefully show just that,” he said.
A revealing look at humanity
Most of the 212 bronze and Iddefjord granite sculptures are an examination of the human form, ranging from the beautiful to the truly bizarre.
Man Attacked By Babies suggests a man struggling to cope with the responsibility of parenthood, while the towering monolith depicts 121 human figures clambering over each other. They reach ever upwards, representing the long-standing desire of human beings to reach out to the divine. After Vigeland designed the monolith in clay, the actual sculpture took three masons 14 years to finish. It’s surrounded by a series of granite figures in various states of emotion, from pensive to outright anger. After the monolith, the park’s most famous sculpture is also one of its smallest. Such is its popularity that Angry Baby’s left hand shines from the wear caused by a century of visitors touching it for luck.
Along with the temporary exhibition at the Vigeland Museum, a series of events are planned around the country to mark the 150th anniversary. The programme includes seminars, the digitalization of personal letters, and a traveling exhibition that will tour Norway until 2020.
The park itself is free to enter and open all day, every day. The museum is closed on Mondays.
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