Exploring the New National Museum in Oslo


09/17/2022

A little over two months after opening, the National Museum of Norway, designed by German architect Klaus Schuwerk, is a hit. A million visitors to this magnetic, diverse and ambitious place are expected by the end of the year.



by Frank Claustrat

The new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Norway and its Light Hall. Photo Borre Hostland
It’s phenomenal. Oslo is in the middle of continuous change. In less than ten years, the city has become an international artistic and cultural epicenter. Its main museums are now clustered around the port, across from the fjord. Set amidst sparkling waters, the complex is spectacular. Visiting each museum is like being on a pilgrimage combining culture and nature. The route starts on the city's heights at Ekebergparken, a park featuring a contemporary sculpture garden created in 2013. Below, an aluminum-clad 13-story tower with iridescent highlights designed by Spanish architect Juan Herreros has punctuated the landscape since 2021. This is the Edvard Munch Museum, which houses 26,000 works by the world-famous painter of The Scream. It overlooks the neighboring opera house, an equally outstanding, iceberg-shaped building designed by the Snøhetta architectural firm in 2008. Click here to read more