ASTRUP FEARNLEY MUSEUM, Oslo, Norway: Contemporary Art from Norway and Around the World

Painting by Leonard Rickhard at the Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo

During our recent visit to Norway we visited the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo, one of Scandinavia’s most notable museums for contemporary art. The building, designed by Renzo Piano, spans two buildings bisected by a canal and joined by a bridge

Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo

In the building on one side of the canal, selected items from the Astrup Fearnley collection are displayed. They include paintings, textiles, sculpture, and other works by a wide variety of artists from around the world. Here are a few examples.

One of the galleries with pieces from the permanent collection.

Textile by Ann Cathrin November Haibo

Michael Jackson and Bubbles (detail) by Jeff Koons

Falling by Nicole Eisenman

Paradise 4, Daintree, Australia (detail), photograph by Thomas Struth

Textile by Ibrahim Mahama

Textile by Synnove Anker Audel

On the other side of the canal the Astrup Fearnley Museum building features rotating temporary exhibits. We chose to see the retrospective of the work of Norwegian artist Leonard Rickhard (1945-2024). It was organized around repeating themes in his work—a bird cabinet, the night painter, the model table, the birch forest, deserted barracks, workers sheds—often in combination. I was struck by the contemporary look of his paintings, even those done fifty years ago. (The exhibit ended on May 19th.)

Leonard Rickhard painting of a shed.

Leonard Rickhard, Bird Cabinet

Leonard Rickhard, Bird Cabinet

Leonard Rickhard, Early Morning Pine Forest

Leonard Rickhard, Model Table

The spacious rooms inside the museum were filled with light allowing each work of art to shine on its own. Outside the museum there is also a sculpture park and restaurant, Venti Venti. The museum and surrounding park were designed by Renzo Piano with the idea that the experience of art, nature, and architecture should complement each other. There is also a room in the museum for children and families to create their own art. 

For hours, directions and more about the Astrup Fearnley Museum go to their website.

View from gallery over the bay.

View out the museum window to walkway along the Oslo Fjord.