Gustav Vigeland
1869 - 1943 There's no career in 20th Century sculpture anything like this one: the city of Oslo gave him a studio, assistants, and a big empty park to design and fill with sculptural monuments, on a scale that rivals the great temple compounds of ancient empires. But despite (or maybe a consequence of) his severe Protestant background, his theme was secular (or even biological): the life of Man from infancy to senesence. No gods or mythological heros -- just the energy of human life, love, and struggle -- work that was made for the people of Oslo and never left the country.
The details presented on this page give only the faintest idea of the overall plan of the park and the program of its monuments.
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Masters of the 20th Century