Gustav Vigeland

Lore & Background

Gustav Vigeland was born Adolf Gustav Thorsen to a family of craftsmen near Mandal, Norway. His father was a cabinetmaker, and his brother Emanuel Vigeland also became a noted artist. After learning wood carving in Oslo, he returned to help his family following his father's death. He later moved back to Oslo in 1888, determined to become a sculptor, and gained training under Brynjulf Bergslien. His first exhibited work was Hagar and Ishmael. In his 20s, he adopted the surname Vigeland from the area where he had briefly lived.

From 1891 to 1896, Vigeland traveled abroad to Copenhagen, Paris, Berlin, and Florence. In Paris he frequented Auguste Rodin's workshop, and in Italy he studied ancient and Renaissance artworks. Themes of death and the relationship between man and woman first appeared in his work during these years. He held his first personal exhibitions in Norway in 1894 and 1896, receiving notable critical praise. Until 1902 he worked on restoring Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, where contact with medieval art introduced the dragon as a symbol of sin and nature force.

In 1905 Norway became independent from Sweden, and Vigeland received numerous commissions for statues and busts of renowned compatriots like Henrik Ibsen and Niels Henrik Abel. In 1906 he proposed a monumental fountain, initially intended for Eidsvolls plass. A dispute over location delayed completion, and Vigeland enlarged the project, adding a high granite column in 1919. In 1921, after a dispute over his house, he made an agreement with the City of Oslo: he would donate all his subsequent works in exchange for a new studio. He moved to Nobels gate in 1924, near Frogner Park, where he spent the next twenty years creating the Vigeland installation, featuring 212 bronze and granite sculptures culminating in the Monolith with 121 figures.

Reader's Guide

Gustav Vigeland's significance lies in his monumental sculpture installation in Frogner Park, which became Norway's most popular tourist attraction. His work is characterized by themes of death, human relationships, and the struggle between man and nature, often symbolized by dragons. The Vigeland Museum, established in his former studio, preserves his plaster models and other works.

Vigeland's legacy includes controversy. Some art critics compared his sculptures to Nazi or fascist aesthetics, and a 1945 newspaper article stated the installation 'reeks of Nazi mentality.' During the German occupation, Vigeland agreed to open his studio to German soldiers, a response used for propaganda by the Quisling regime. However, he was obliged to accept visits due to municipal funding, refused to be present at such visits, and may have feared confiscation. Senior Curator Tone Wikborg noted that while Vigeland held a conservative view of art aligned with Nazi or communist attitudes toward modernist art, this does not make him a sympathizer of any specific political system. The source article preserves this dispute without resolving it.

Did You Know?

• Gustav Vigeland designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal.
• He adopted the surname Vigeland from the area where he briefly lived with his grandparents.
• His brother Emanuel Vigeland also became a noted artist.
• Vigeland's ashes are preserved in the belfry of the building that became the Vigeland Museum.