Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, Norway designed by Renzo Piano “It is vital that art is not locked away. It needs to be shown and experienced. We have to learn from it.
” Hans Rasmus Astrup Founded in 1993 by Norwegian shipping magnate and art collector Hans Rasmus Astrup, the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo holds one of the most comprehensive collections of international contemporary art in Europe. The man behind the museum, an ardent collector of modern art since the 1960s, was keen that the public should enjoy his collection too. Today the collection contains around 1,500 works and continues to grow, thanks to a fund created by Mr Astrup for ongoing purchases.
The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo was designed by Renzo Piano The striking waterside museum, designed by Renzo Piano (architect of the Paris’s Pompidou, The Shard in London, the Whitney Museum of American Art and many more architectural icons), is a must see for both art and architecture lovers on any visit to Oslo. It presents changing exhibitions that draw on the impressive permanent collection as well as commissions new work by artists from all over the world. The current temporary exhibition, The Deep West Assembly (on until 15 September 2024) , premieres American artist Cauleen Smith’s new film commissioned by Astrup Fearnley.
A building by “s tarchitect ” Renzo Piano Gardar Eide Einarsson, Untitled (FT), 2017 a new acquisition in 2022 by Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo The Renzo Piano building in the regenerated Tjuvholmen area, made of concrete, zinc and wood, has been the location of the museum since 2012. The museum has a yacht-like shape and is actually equipped with rigging like a nautical vessel. The new cultural quarter where the museum is located, to the south-west of Oslo’s city center, also has a public sculpture park, swimming beach and waterside promenade.
As a continuation of the redevelopment of the Aker Brygge area, site of former shipyards, Tjuvholmen has a privileged location right on the water’s edge, with views over the fjord and the city. Astrup Fearnley Museum’s Permanent Collection A recent acquisition by Astrup Fearnley, the large scale installation by Børre Saethre, My Private Sky (2001), was first displayed at the museum in 2001 and has now been reconstructed. The artwork is shown in ten rooms across two buildings, starting with the permanent collection on the north side of the canal that cuts through the middle of the site, connecting at ground level underneath the main stair and piazza with the office building and its private art collection.
To the south, over a footbridge across the canal, is the museum’s space for temporary exhibitions. The gallery space is spread over two floors, giving the visitor a diverse range of spaces and volumes to experience, shaped by the curve of the sloping roof and lit via a spectacular skylight. A recent acquisition, the large scale installation by Børre Saethre, My Private Sky (2001), was first displayed at the museum in 2001 and has now been reconstructed.
Featuring an opening and closing chamber with a unicorn inside, this intriguing piece creates an environment that is both seductive and disturbing, drawing inspiration from the history of cinema and the genre of science fiction. An exterior roof terrace provides a generous exhibition space for sculptures and views across the city. Jeff Koon's sculpture at Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo The Astrup Fearnley museum retains its popularity by regularly rehanging the exhibitions, placing the works in new constellations and contexts.
The collection includes significant works by artists such as Matthew Barney, Félix González-Torres, Rachel Harrison, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, Sigmar Polke, Cindy Sherman, Børre Sæthre and Wolfgang Tillmans. The installation "Mother and Child (Divided)" 1993 by Damien Hirst, on display at the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo, Norway Mr Astrup was an astute collector, known for investing in artists early in their careers. For example Damien Hirst’s “Mother and Child Divided” 1993, is the original work while the piece in London’s Tate Modern is a copy made in 2007.
The Deep West Assembly by Cauleen Smith The Deep West Assembly by Cauleen Smith at Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo On until 15 September 2024, the solo exhibition of work by multidisciplinary American artist and filmmaker Cauleen Smith is both moving and engaging. She is known for her visionary works that draw on experimental cinema from the 1960s and 1970s, science-fiction films and literature and Afro-diasporic experience and thought. Cauleen Smith, The Deep West Assembly, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo This solo exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Smith’s prolific output and premieres her latest film, The Deep West Assembly (2024), commissioned by Astrup Fearnley Museet.
The fascinating film combines music, poetry, improvisation and narration to delve into the concepts of geological time and blackness as camouflaged in image, song and word by Black and Brown creators. Incorporating images of geological formations like lava caves, calderas and salt domes, as well as human-made landforms such as ancient Choctaw burial mounds, the film explores Black cultural practices as kin to Indigenous traditions.The exhibition also includes a new large-scale video installation in the museum’s double-height space, as well as the artist’s textile banners, drawings, and recent sculpture series of large hand-poured candles.
Upstairs, Smith has embedded a reading room in the exhibition space with books and records (and a turntable that visitors can use). Upcoming Exhibitions Sigmar Polke on the back wall at the Astrup Fearnley museum, Oslo Coming up at the museum will be Between Rivers ( 18 October 2024 – 12 January 2025) a group show of 12 contemporary artists who respond to the place of rivers in our lives at a moment when they are being profoundly reshaped by human activity. And in February 2025, the museum will show On Lies, Secrets and Silence a solo photography show by Norwegian artist Frida Orupabo.
Astrup Fearnley Museum, Strandpromenaden 2, 0252 Oslo Tel + 47 22 93 60 60 Open Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-17:00 Admission 150 kroner (US$14). Concessions available and free entry with an Oslo Pass from Visit Oslo. Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions Join The Conversation One Community.
Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Forbes Community Guidelines Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations.
We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below.
Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author Content that otherwise violates our site's terms. User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk Actions that otherwise violate our site's terms.
So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your insights Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view. Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.
Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service..
