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From Edvard Munch and Norway's vast National Museum to sculpture parks and cutting-edge contemporary galleries, Oslo has become one of Scandinavia's most rewarding cities for art lovers.

Paris, Florence and Madrid may be the European cities most readily associated with art-focused travel. Oslo probably isn't. But Norway's capital has changed dramatically.

The opening of MUNCH in 2021 followed by the new National Museum in 2022 gave Oslo two major cultural attractions on opposite sides of its redeveloped waterfront.

Add one of Europe's most unusual sculpture parks, a strong contemporary art scene and an extraordinary mausoleum hidden in a residential neighbourhood and there's easily enough here to build an entire trip around art.

Better still, some of Oslo's most memorable art experiences don't cost anything at all.

If you're planning a trip to the Norwegian capital, here's where to experience the best of Norwegian art and much more.

Norway's National Museum

If you only have time for one art museum in Oslo, make it the National Museum.

Opened beside Aker Brygge in June 2022, the enormous Klaus Schuwerk-designed building brought together collections previously spread across several Oslo institutions.

With 13,000 square metres of exhibition space, it is the largest art museum in the Nordic region. That scale means you shouldn't expect to see everything in one visit.

The permanent collection moves through centuries of art, architecture, craft and design. For international visitors, the sections covering Norwegian romantic nationalism and landscape painting are particularly useful for understanding how artists helped shape the idea of Norway as a nation.

Works by artists including Johan Christian Dahl, Adolph Tidemand, Hans Gude and Harald Sohlberg sit alongside a substantial international collection.

Then, of course, there's Edvard Munch.

The National Museum owns the famous 1893 version of The Scream, considered the first painted version of the motif. It remains on display in the museum's dedicated Munch rooms together with works including Madonna. 

Don't overlook the first-floor collections either. Furniture, fashion, ceramics, silverware and other decorative arts make this as much a museum of Norwegian design as one of painting. For anyone interested in art, I would allow at least half a day here.

MUNCH

On the other side of central Oslo, the leaning aluminium tower of MUNCH dominates the Bjørvika waterfront.

The exterior has divided opinion ever since it opened in 2021, but the museum finally gives Norway's most internationally famous artist the space his enormous body of work deserves.

Munch left his collection to the City of Oslo, and the museum holds paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and other material spanning his long career.

That makes a visit about much more than The Scream. Works such as Madonna,ÌýVampireÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýThe Sun demonstrate how widely Munch experimented with colour, technique and recurring themes throughout his life.

That said, most first-time visitors will understandably want to see The Scream.

MUNCH owns several versions of the motif. Three—a painting, drawing and print—are used for the main display, but because they are works on fragile paper and cardboard, they cannot withstand continuous exposure to light.

Only one is visible at any one time while the others rest in darkness. Ask the guard when the rotation will change.

Outside, don't miss Tracey Emin's nine-metre-high bronze sculpture The Mother. Emin has spoken extensively about Munch's influence on her work, and the kneeling figure now forms a striking part of the waterfront beside the museum.

Astrup Fearnley Museum

From MUNCH, you can see just how thoroughly Oslo's waterfront has changed. Follow it west and eventually you'll reach another of the city's architectural landmarks.

At the end of Tjuvholmen, the privately founded concentrates entirely on contemporary art.

The Renzo Piano-designed complex stretches across buildings separated by a narrow canal, all beneath a distinctive curved glass roof. Its waterside setting means the architecture is almost as much a part of the experience as the art itself.

The Astrup Fearnley Collection has developed since the 1960s and includes work from international names such as Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Wolfgang Tillmans and Sigmar Polke, alongside Norwegian and Nordic artists.

However, don't arrive expecting a fixed highlights tour. The museum regularly rehangs its collection and combines it with changing temporary exhibitions, so checking what's on before your visit is worthwhile.

Even if you don't enter the museum, stroll through the surrounding Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park. Its seven works include pieces by Louise Bourgeois, Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor.

Vigeland Sculpture Park

For Oslo's best-known outdoor art experience, head west to Frogner Park.

The Vigeland Sculpture Park contains more than 200 works in bronze, granite and wrought iron by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland.

Unlike many sculpture gardens, this isn't simply a collection of unrelated pieces placed outdoors. The entire installation was conceived by Vigeland and explores human life, relationships and emotion.

Everyone seems to have their own favourite.

For many first-time visitors it's the famously furious little boy Sinnataggen, while others head straight for the extraordinary Monolith.

Standing more than 17 metres high, the granite column contains 121 intertwined human figures. Three stone carvers spent 13 years transferring Vigeland's model into stone. 

But give yourself time to look beyond those two famous sights. The Bridge, Fountain and Wheel of Life all contribute to the broader story Vigeland was trying to tell.

The sculpture park is outdoors, free to visit and open around the clock.

Don't Miss the Vigeland Museum

While you're at Frogner Park, there's another art museum that many visitors walk straight past.

The Vigeland Museum occupies Gustav Vigeland's former studio and residence immediately beside the park.

This is where a visit to the sculpture park gains much more context. The collection includes original plaster models for many of the sculptures outside, together with drawings, woodcuts and other works.

Vigeland lived and worked in the building until his death in 1943. It opened as a museum four years later and today holds approximately 1,600 sculptures, 12,000 drawings and 420 woodcuts.

If you've ever wondered how something as ambitious as the Monolith actually came into being, this is the place to find out.

Ekeberg Sculpture Park

Vigeland may be the famous one, but it isn't Oslo's only sculpture park. High above the city on the eastern side of the fjord, combines woodland trails, views across Oslo and international contemporary art.

The collection has grown significantly since the park opened in 2013. Today there are 47 sculptures and installations by 43 artists, including works by Auguste Rodin, Louise Bourgeois, James Turrell, Elmgreen & Dragset and Roni Horn.

Salvador Dalí's surrealist Venus de Milo aux Tiroirs, a familiar classical figure fitted with drawers, remains one of the park's best-known pieces.

More recent additions show that Ekebergparken isn't a finished collection frozen in time. New works continue to appear, including Pipilotti Rist's Nordic Pixel Forest.

The park itself is free and open around the clock throughout the year.

The Remarkable Emanuel Vigeland Museum

Of all Oslo's art attractions, this remains one of the strangest—and one of my favourites to recommend simply because so many visitors have no idea it exists. Hidden among the houses of Slemdal is the Emanuel Vigeland Museum.

Emanuel was Gustav Vigeland's younger brother and became known for his frescoes, stained glass and sculpture.

He built this extraordinary structure in 1926, originally intending it as a museum for his work. He later bricked up the windows, converted the building into his own mausoleum and named it Tomba Emmanuelle. The result is unforgettable.

Inside, the dark barrel-vaulted chamber is covered by the 800-square-metre fresco Vita, a dramatic and frequently erotic depiction of human life from conception to death. The darkness is matched by remarkable acoustics, with a reverberation lasting around 20 seconds.

Your eyes need time to adjust when you first enter, so don't rush.

There's also a practical complication: the museum is currently open to ordinary visitors on Sundays only, and is strongly recommended. From central Oslo, take T-Bane line 1 to Slemdal followed by a short walk.

Contemporary Art Galleries in Oslo

One part of Oslo's art scene that is difficult to write about in a permanent travel guide is its independent galleries. Spaces move, exhibitions change and new artist-run venues appear surprisingly often.

Instead of heading automatically to ³Ò°ùü²Ô±ð°ù±ôø°ì°ì²¹, as older guides often suggest, start by checking . It covers more than 70 galleries, museums, institutions and artist-run spaces and provides a current overview of exhibitions, openings, performances and artist talks. 

For somewhere established,Ìý near the Royal Palace is a good choice. Opened as an artists' institution, it remains an important venue for contemporary exhibitions and hosts Norway's long-running annual Autumn Exhibition. 

Photography fans should check the programme at Fotogalleriet, while Kunstnerforbundet, established in 1910, remains one of Scandinavia's oldest artist-run galleries. 

There are also several galleries concentrated in Kvadraturen, the historic streets between Karl Johans gate and the waterfront, making that an easy area to explore on foot.

What are your favourite art destinations in Oslo? Let us know in the comments below.