The Vigeland Park and Museum (3:47 min)

Short film presenting The Vigeland Park and Museum in Oslo, Norway.

The Vigeland Park is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist, and is one of Norway's most popular tourist attractions. The park is open to visitors 24 hours a day all year round.

The unique sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland's (1863-1943) lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland was also in charge of the design and architechtural layout of the park. The Vigeland Park was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949.

Most of the sculptures are placed in five units along an 850 meter long axis: The Main gate, the Bridge with the Children's playground, the Fountain, the Monolith plateau and the Wheel of Life.

The Vigeland Museum is situated south of the Vigeland Park (direction Skøyen), five minutes walk from the main gate in the park. The building was originally built in the 1920s by the City of Oslo to serve as studio, home and future museum for the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869 - 1943). He worked and lived here until his death. The Vigeland Museum is one of the finest examples of Norwegian Neo-Classicist monumental architecture. The courtyard with its fountain, colonnades and sculptures is surrounded by the museum’s 13 exhibition rooms.

Vigeland’s work process is well documented in the museum, allowing you to follow the artist’s development from the expressive and slender figures he sculpted in the 1890’s to his heavier and more classically balanced style of the inter-war years.

Almost all of Vigeland’s original works, from portraits and monuments to the sculptures in the Vigeland Park, can be found in the museum. Plaster models comprise a large part of the sculpture collection, but there are also works in bronze, marble and wrought iron in addition to drawings and woodcuts.

Vigeland’s apartment on the second floor has been preserved with its original interior. The artist lived here from 1924 until his death in 1943. At his request, the tower in the centre of the main wing became his burial chamber. His urn is placed in the centre of the room. Visits to the apartment are possible by appointment.

The Vigeland Museum also hosts changing exhibitions. These exhibitions present three-dimentional art, such as sculpture and installations, in addition to video-based work. The exhibitions feature both contemporary and older art by Norwegian and international artists.

Music

• "Scottish Knights". Composer: Anthony Phillips.

• "Timless". Composer: Lee Groves, Peter Marett.

• "Courage within". Composer: Brian Brasher, Veigar Margeirsson.

Film made by Andrzej Kornecki (Faber Studio) for the Vigeland Museum, 2011.

Copyright: Vigeland Museum/BONO 2013.