The Oslo art scene is having a bit of a moment. First a ten-storey gallery dedicated to local lad Edvard Munch opened on the city’s waterfront, and now it’s being joined by Norway’s spectacular new National Museum.
The 13,000-square-metre complex took a good six years to build, and cost a whopping £500 million (or $650 million). Inside, you’ll find the collections of three existing museums: the National Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. Most impressive of all is an opening exhibit comprising 400 dangling reindeer skulls, which was created by indigenous Sámi people.
The collection also contains some of Munch’s most famous works, including one version of ‘The Scream’ and ‘Madonna’. The public permanent collection includes 5,000 objects, covering everything from European landscapes to Chinese porcelain and modern light installations.
As for the building itself? It’s been dismissed as a ‘grey box’ by some critics, while others say it should provide a fitting home for the collection for decades. Us personally? We think it looks pretty swish. The roof terrace, with its views out over the city’s inner fjord, must be the highlight.
Fancy a visit? Tickets start from 180 Norwegian Krone (£15 or $18). Find out more on the official National Museum website.
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