Korsmo’s Nordic Modernism
Villa Stenersen is one of the icons of Norwegian Modernist architecture, designed by the internationally oriented architect Arne Korsmo. Villa Stenersen is a clear example of how the architect interpreted and applied international architectural ideas of his time. The villa was commissioned in 1937 as a private home and gallery for the stockbroker, art collector, and author Rolf E. Stenersen (1899-1978) and his family. In 1974 Stenersen donated the house to the Norwegian government, and it then served as residence for the Prime Minister and other government representatives. Since 2000 the house has been open to the public; first through events administered by Norsk Form and in 2014 The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design took over the administration of Villa Stenersen.
Highlights
Guided tours of the house for groups can also be booked out of the ordinary schedule.
Insider's Guide
Not far from Villa Stenersen is one of Oslo's best kept secrets, Emanuel Vigeland's Museum at Slemdal. The museum's main attraction is a dark, barrel-vaulted room, completely covered with fresco paintings. The 800 sq.m. fresco Vita depicts human life from conception till death, in dramatic and often explicitly erotic scenes. Emanuel Vigeland (1875-1948) erected the building in 1926, intended as a future museum for his sculptures and paintings. He eventually decided that the museum should also serve as a mausoleum. All the windows were closed and his ashes were to rest in an urn above the entrance door. Influenced by Italian prototypes, he named his building Tomba Emmanuelle. The museum is open on Sundays.