Art Oslo
Museums
Skater and collector
Sonja Henie won three Olympic gold medals and then conquered Hollywood; with her husband, the shipowner Niels Onstad, she assembled a collection of modern art that included Matisse, Picasso, Miró and Léger. In 1968 they gave it to the public in a purpose-built centre on the fjord west of Oslo.
A centre, not just a gallery
From the beginning Henie Onstad was conceived as a living arts centre rather than a static museum — with concerts, performance and experimental art alongside the collection. It played a key role in introducing video and conceptual art to Norway, and that adventurous spirit still shapes its programme.
By the water
The low, light-filled building opens onto lawns running down to the Oslofjord, with a sculpture park and walking paths along the shore. Sonja Henie's competition trophies and skating memorabilia are displayed in their own gallery — a reminder of the unlikely origins of the place.
What to see
- Modern masters: Matisse, Picasso, Miró
- Pioneering video and conceptual works
- Sonja Henie's Olympic medals and trophies
- The fjord-side sculpture park
An Olympic champion's gift to modern art.
