Oslo may not be your typical destination for a weekend getaway. Having a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities on the planet doesn’t help either. The best advice, if any, would be to have a clear Plan A. A as in Art.
Oslo is home to several outstanding art museum and galleries, both private and public. Among the most well known are the Munch Museum and the National Gallery, the latter being home to Munch’s most famous painting, the Scream. The Astrup-Fearnley modern art gallery is situated on the very tip of the highly popular Aker Brygge water front, at Tjuvholmen. Designed by Renzo Piano, the building it is worth seeing from the outside as well. There is also the brilliant Stenersen Collection, and a personal favourite; the Henie-Onstad art center at Høvik near Sandvika.
Another place not to be missed while in Oslo is the sculpture park on the Ekeberg hill.
Ekeberg Sculpture Park
The history of what is now called Ekebergparken – the Ekeberg Park – on the Ekeberg hill overlooking Oslo goes back more than 8-10000 years, when the first nomadic hunter-gatherers came to these parts. Petroglyphs, inscribed on mountain side, can stille be seen here. Due to its natural location offering a superb view of the inner Oslofjord and the port of Oslo, Ekeberg has always played an important role in the development of the city.
Click on the images to enlarge!
Art in a natural setting
The Ekeberg hill and park was bought by the municipality and made into a people’s park in 1889 “out of consideration for the population’s physical soundness”, confirming the fact that the Norwegians, then as now, love to walk in nature.
An agreement between the municipality and the C. Ludens Ringnes foundation in 2011 was the starting point for the present sculpture and natural heritage park. The area reopened as a people’s park in September 2013. Top flight international art has also been installed, enriching both the city and visitors.
The following is a series of photos of some of the current art works on display (August 2018).
For the full list and map see Ekebergparken official page.
Source
Ekebergparken
All photos by Asgeir Pedersen
This article was first published in September 2018.
