Applied arts
Norwegian applied arts has a proud tradition of high standards dating back to the early medieval period. Among the most important items in the collections of Norwegian applied arts museums are textiles, and metal and wooden objects from the Viking period (c 800 to c 1200 CE). This period was marked by the rise of Christianity in Norway and many outstanding pieces with Christian content were produced, such as the famous
Baldishol tapestry hanging in the
National Museum of Decorative Arts and Design.
Despite the thousand-year tradition, contemporary Norwegian applied arts have been influenced more by international trends rather than by their own domestic inheritance.
Artist working within the field of applied arts wanted to establish a reputation for themselves as fine artists, rather than crafts people engaged in traditional crafts called husflid (domestic crafts).
The
Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts (
Norske Kunsthaandverkere) was established 1975 to represent the interest for the applied artists. As a result of the radical artist demonstrations in 1974 for better living conditions, the Norwegian state set up working and study grants for arts and crafts makers, recognising their work on the same level as fine artists such as painters and sculptors.
The textile artist Frieda Hansen, who had her main productive years in the period between 1900 and 1950, is considered to be the first 'applied artist' in the modern sense of the word. Many more followed in her footsteps, creating a career for themselves, including jeweller Tone Vigeland, ceramicists Søren Ubisch, Torbjørn Kvasbø and Ole Lislerud, to mention a few. Renowned Norwegian textile artists include Trine Mauritz Eriksen, Bente Sætrang, and Marit Eken Kallager.
The Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts has about 800 members, and runs an extensive exhibition programme. The annual Arts and Crafts exhibition in Oslo, as well as the different county exhibitions, are its main shows within the field of applied arts.
