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Join this walk in one of Europe's most famous sculpture parks. Here you will find out more about Gustav Vigeland, the park and the sculptures. Good trip :-)
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In 1924, Gustav Vigeland and his wife Ingerid moved into their new home at Frogner. The apartment on the third floor of the studio is almost 300 square meters large and has two living rooms, a dining room, a bedroom, a library, and a kitchen. In addition, there is an urn room, where Vigeland's urn is placed. The rooms are harmonious and carefully thought out, preserved with the original interior from the 1920s. For many, the corner room is the highlight with its colorful interior and rich decoration of Vigeland's design. Before moving in, Vigeland showed little interest in interior design. At Frogner, however, he took an interest in giving the apartment a personal touch. Over a few years, he made about fifty pastels for the apartment's many walls, and for the living rooms, he designed carpets, cushions, tablecloths, candlesticks, and lamps. The wrought-iron works were designed by Vigeland but forged at an art smithy in Oslo. Most of the smaller textiles, like cushions and tablecloths, were woven or embroidered by Ingerid Vigeland. The apartment is designed as a gesamtkunstwerk, where the whole plays a significant role. The concept of home as an artwork was a thought that influenced the design of Vigeland's apartment. All elements contribute to and are connected with each other. He designed several pieces of furniture and interior items himself, some of which were handcrafted and delivered from Copenhagen. His wife Ingerid was skilled at embroidery, but of course with geometric design executed by her husband.
You are now standing in front of the entrance to the Vigeland Museum, which is Oslo's sculpture museum with dual tasks and ambitions. On one hand, the museum is dedicated to Gustav Vigeland. The core task is to manage Vigeland's legacy for the public and for posterity. Essentially, the museum's halls, as well as the apartment on the museum's 3rd floor, present Vigeland's art from his entire artistic career. In addition, the Vigeland Museum aims to be the most interesting exhibition site for art in the three-dimensional field. Primarily, the museum prioritizes artistic works and creations that can be linked to the three-dimensional field, i.e., sculpture and installation, as well as video-based art. The museum emphasizes presenting a breadth within this, both in terms of different periods, nationalities, artistic styles, and techniques. In the Fountain Hall stand the original plaster models for Vigeland's bronze fountain in the park: The middle group with six men carrying a large bowl, surrounded by twenty tree groups. The individually designed tree groups with figures tell the story of human life from cradle to grave. In the Monolith Hall stand several of the original plaster models for the 36 granite sculptures and the Monolith, which otherwise was modeled in three parts.