Norway Oslo Places trip reports

Frogner Park, Oslo for Vigeland’s circle of life installation

a statue of a woman with long hair and people in the grass

Clear skies over Oslo, Norway with a late-April temperature climbing to over 21C/70F made for a perfect day to walk through Frogner Park. The Vigeland Park sculpture installation consists of more than 200 stone and metal sculptures depicting people of all ages from infants to the elderly. Vigeland’s sculptures represent the circle of life. The artist spent the last 20 years of his life from 1924-1943 creating pieces for what is currently the largest single-artist sculpture park in the world.

Frogner Park was created when the city administration of Kristiania, as Olso was then named, purchased the private land of Frogner Manor in 1896 and created a public park, which opened in 1904. A stadium and a park bridge were constructed and opened in 1914 as part of the Jubilee Exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of Norway’s constitution.

a group of people on a football field
American football game at Frogner Stadium (1914), Oslo, Norway – April 2023.

 

a statue of a girl jumping on a concrete block

Frogner Park is Oslo’s largest city park and the number #1 visited attraction in Norway.

The Bridge

a statue of two people in a circle
Mann og kvinne inne i en ring / Man and Woman inside a ring.

 

The Bridge in Frogner Park was initially laid out for the 1914 Jubilee Exhibition. Vigeland’s bronze sculptures were added in the 1940s.

a group of people walking on a bridge
The Bridge in Frogner Park. The first Vigeland sculptures on the Bridge were installed in 1940.

 

46 of 58 sculptures on The Bridge were installed during summer 1940. Nazi Germany had invaded and occupied Norway in April 1940.

a statue of a woman with long hair in a park
Dansende ung kvinne / Young Woman Dancing. Apparently, Norwegian dreadlocks are not a new contemporary look.

 

a statue of a man and woman on a bridge
Mann løfter kvinne foran seg. / Man lifts woman in front of him.

 

statues of people on a bridge
Synchronicity. Ung mann og kvinne danser / Young man and woman dancing.

 

a statue of a man holding a baby
Playfulness.

 

a statue of a man with a statue of a man
Mann bærer to små barn / Man carrying two small children. Control.

 

a group of statues of people
Embrace.

 

a statue of a baby
Sinnataggen, The Angry Boy is the best-known Vigeland bronze sculpture.

 

a statue of a man
‘Mann sjonglerer med fire smÃ¥barn’ / ‘Man juggles four small children’ is another popular sculpture seen in the background of this photo.

 

a water flowing over a river

The Fountain

a group of people in a plaza with a statue of animals
The Fountain with no water in April 2023.

 

a group of statues in a field
The Fountain sculpture close-up.

 

statues of people in a park
The Fountain, Vigeland Installation, Frogner Park, Oslo.

 

The Monolith

The Monolith is a 17-meter column depicting 121 figures.

a gate with a drawing of women on it
Decorated Gate to the Monolith plaza.

 

a group of people standing on stairs with statues on them with Frogner Park in the background
The Monolith – Vigeland Installation, Frogner Park, Oslo.

 

a group of statues of people

 

a statue of a woman and a child on her back

a group of people standing on stairs

a group of statues on stairs

a statue of a man and woman with Bahubali in the background

a stone gate with a sculpture on it

a statue of people around each other

a group of people walking on a grassy hill

a gate with a statue of men

a group of statues of people

a group of statues of people sitting on steps

a group of stone statues

a group of people sitting on stairs in front of a statue

 

 

 

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3 Comments

  • Marilyn B July 1, 2023

    Great photos. We were just there in June. Did you realize that the pavement surrounding the Fountain was a maze?

  • Ric Garrido July 5, 2023

    I did not realize there was a maze in the pavement. I only have one photo showing part of the pavement around the fountain and I can’t see enough to discern the maze pattern.

    I will be back in Oslo in October. Kelley really enjoyed our time in the Frogner district and I might get the chance to visit the park again.

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